Metabolic parameters of ontogenesis of electrical activity in the brain. Sodium-potassium activated adenosine triphospatase in developing chick embryo brain

Abstract

(1) The activity of the Na-K ATPase in the particulate fraction of the chick embryo brain has been assayed at different stages of development with the objective of finding whether or not changes in the activity of this enzyme bear any relation to the maturation of spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of the growing chick brain. (2) The specific activity of the enzyme is low on day 6 and it rises rapidly between days 10 and 12, at which time it attains a plateau and remains essentially unchanged from day 12 until day 20. Experimental evidence rules out the possible presence of an inhibitor of the enzyme in 8-day-old brain homogenates, suggesting that these developmental changes in the activity of the enzyme may represent new synthesis of enzyme rather than its activation. The period between days 10 and 12 does not represent a unique stage of general protein synthesis. (3) The chick brain particulate enzyme has an optimum activity at pH 7.4 and at 37°. It is optimally activated by a Na⁺ concentration of 100mm and K⁺ concentration of 20 mm. The enzyme is inhibited by ouabain and Ca²⁺. (4) The results have been discussed.