Ontogenetic development of glutamate metabolizing enzymes in cultured cerebellar granule cells and in cerebellum in vivo

• Published in: Neurochemical research Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 49 - 62
• Main Authors: DREJER, J, LARSSON, O. M, KVAMME, E, SVENNEBY, G, HERTZ, L, SCHOUSBOE, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer 1985
• Subjects: Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Cerebellum - enzymology; Cerebellum - growth & development; Culture Techniques; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glutamate Dehydrogenase - metabolism; Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase - metabolism; Glutamates - metabolism; Glutamic Acid; Glutaminase - metabolism; Mice; Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase - metabolism; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Cerebellum; Glutamate dehydrogenase; Cell culture; Glutamic acid; Granule neuron; Enzyme; Organotypic culture; Glutamatergic neuron; Central nervous system; Brain (Vertebrata); Glutamine synthetase; Glutaminase; Aminoacid; Neurotransmitter; Aspartate aminotransferase; Ornithine―oxo-acid aminotransferase
• ISSN: 0364-3190; 1573-6903
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00964771

The ontogenetic development of the enzymes phosphate activated glutaminase (PAG), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), glutamic-oxaloacetic-transaminase (GOT), glutamine synthetase (GS), and ornithine-delta-aminotransferase (Orn-T) was followed in cerebellum in vivo and in cultured cerebellar granule cells. It was found that PAG, GLDH, and GOT exhibited similar developmental patterns in the cultured neurons compared to cerebellum. PAG showed, however, a more pronounced phosphate activation in the cultured granule cells compared to in vivo. The activity of GS remained low in the cultured neurons compared to the increasing activity of this enzyme found in vivo. On the other hand Orn-T exhibited an increase in its specific activity in the cultured cells as a function of time in culture in contrast to the non-changing activity of this enzyme in vivo. Compared to cerebellum the cultured neurons exhibited higher activities of GLDH, GOT, and Orn-T whereas the activity of PAG was only slightly higher in the cultured cells. The activity of GS in the cultured neurons was only 5-10% of the activity in cerebellum in vivo. It is concluded that cultured cerebellar granule cells represent a reliable model system by which the metabolism and function of glutamatergic neurons can be conveniently studied in a physiologically meaningful way.