Histochemical localization of Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase of the rat cerebellar cortex during postnatal development.

In order to investigate the membrane activities underlying development of neural cells, a histochemical localization of Ca2+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase and alkaline phosphatase (AlPase) activities in the rat cerebellar cortex during postnatal development was carried out. In the developing cerebellar cortex, ATPase activity was mainly associated with the plasma membranes of Purkinje and granular cells. This activity appeared in the immature Purkinje cells at birth and was proportionally increased throughout postnatal development. It was observed that the ATPase activity of migratory granular cells during a critical period from 3 and 15 postnatal days was increased in a funicular pattern in the developing cerebellar cortex. Conversely, peak AlPase activity in the developing cerebellar cortex was localized in the proliferative external granular cells until 7 postnatal days. Apparently, these phosphatase activities were not present in Bergmann glial fibers during the course of granular cell migration. The present findings were taken to indicate that neuronal cells in the cerebellar cortex have acquired a membrane-bound ATPase which can participate in Ca2+ transport or ATP metabolism during the course of early postnatal development.