ABSTRACT
Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) is one of the most important molecules in living cells. ATP is majorly produced in the mitochondria by the processes of oxidative phosphorylation by the enzyme ATP synthase. extracellular ATP (eATP) is essential for several crucial physiological processes such as cell growth and cell death, neurotransmission, muscle contraction and immune response in animals. The visualization of eATP in the extracellular matrix of the different tissues has been a challenging task. The lack of a suitable technique for detection of eATP is a major hindrance in assessing the dose-dependent effect of eATP in vivo. The probable role of ectoapyrases in plant responses, such as growth and nodulation, can be established by further studies that can prove the correlation of polar auxin transport with the depleted eATP levels due to ectoapyrase activity. Mechanical stress is known to increase eATP levels in Arabidopsis seedlings. Touch, osmotic stress and hypertonic stress are able to induce ATP release to a significant extent.
