POSTNATAL HISTOCHEMICAL AND ISOENZYMATIC PATTERNS OF THE ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE IN THE BRAINSTEM OF RAT
M. BHATNAGAR *
Department of Zoology, M. L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur-313 001, Rajasthan, India.
H. B. TEWARI *
Department of Zoology, M. L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur-313 001, Rajasthan, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Postnatal acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7.) changes were studied in 0, 12, 21 and 90 days old rat brainstem using histochemical and isoenzymatic techniques. Brain sections and gels were stained with direct colouring method of Karnovasky and Roots (1964). Â Histochemical observations revealed variation in enzyme intensity of the individual nuclei from birth to adult. Isoenzymes of AChE observed in the brain samples (0 to 90 days) were characterized by the changing pattern and differential staining. Isoenzyme pattern suggest that AChE occurs in multiple molecular forms which may be expressed in different cell population depending upon the state of development and differentiation of the nervous elements.