Volume 50: 411-417, 2001

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Ontogenetic Profile of Ecto-ATPase Activity in Rat Hippocampal and Caudate Nucleus Synaptic Plasma Membrane Fractions


A. BANJAC, N. NEDELJKOVIĆ, A. HORVAT, D. KANAZIR, G. NIKEZIĆ


Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade, Yugoslavia


Received July 10, 2000
Accepted January 4, 2001


Summary
An ontogenetic study of ecto-ATPase activity and the content of enzyme proteins was assessed in the caudate nucleus and hippocampal synaptic plasma membranes isolated from rats at various ages (15, 30, 90, 180 and 365 days). The ontogenetic profile revealed that the enzyme activities in both brain areas were the highest on day 30 and 365, while the ecto-ATPase protein abundance was the highest on day 15 after birth. Possible explanation for obtained ontogenetic profile and the discrepancy between activity and abundance may reside in the fact that ecto-ATPase during development could exert additional roles other than those related to metabolism of ATP. It is likely that ecto-ATPase, regulating the concentration of ATP and adenosine in synaptic cleft, has important role in the processes of brain development and aging.


Key words
Ecto-ATPase · Extracellular purines · Development · Aging · Brain

 

Reprint requests
A. Horvat, Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Phone 381 11 344 36 19. E-mail: ahorvat@rt270.vin.bg.ac.yu

 


PHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
© 2001 by the Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences

ISSN 0862 - 8408

Issue 4