Abstract
We previously presented that acetylcholinesterase respond to environmental stresses, such as heat and gravity. We also proposed that the acetylcholine (ACh), ACh receptor (AChR) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) system (ACh-mediated system) in plants may play a signal transduction in the same manner as the animal system. To understand function of ACh-mediated system in plants, then we purified and cloned AChE gene from maize seedlings and prepared a polyclonal antibody against maize AChE. In this study, direct investigation of the AChE function in plants exposed to heat and gravity stresses using immunohistochemical techniques. Furthermore, the response of maize AChE to heat and gravity stresses was investigated using tobacco and rice plants overexpressed maize AChE gene. The maize AChE gene was introduced into tobacco and rice plants, and was overexpressed under the control of the CaMV 35S and maize ubiquitin promoters, respectively.
