Abstract
ACh-mediated system is known generally as a neurotransmitter in animal kingdom. Meanwhile, both acetylcholine (ACh) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity have been widely recognized in about 200 plant species. To clarify function of ACh-mediated system in plants, we have been investigated function of AChE, which regulate ACh content level. Plant AChE respond to environmental stresses, such as gravity or heat, and was involved in solute distribution. In the present work, immunological localization of maize AChE was detected in tissues of heat-stressed maize seedlings. We prepared an antibody against maize AChE, which was previously purified in our laboratory, expressed in E. coli. By immunoblot analysis, maize AChE was mainly localized in coleoptile node. The anti-maize AChE was localized in ground meristem and endodermal cells surrounding vascular system using immunofluorescence. Furthermore, localization of maize AChE was expanded to region of stele by heat stress.
