Developmental changes in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in nervous tissues with reference to amino acid transmission processes.

In homogenate supernatants of hippocampal formation and cerebellum of the rat, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP) activities increased about 6 times from postnatal day 6 (0.178 +/- 0.02 and 0.187 +/- 0.007 U/g wet wt., respectively) to day 100. In dorsal root ganglia (0.183 +/- 0.003 U/g at day 6) and superior cervical ganglia (0.188 +/- 0.019 U/g at day 6) in which apparently amino acidergic transmission processes do not occur, enzyme activities were seen to go up 4 times and 2.4 times, respectively. Based on protein, enzyme activities in both brain material and dorsal root ganglia showed a similar pattern, whereas the activity increase in superior cervical ganglia was somewhat gradual (1.4 times from day 6 to day 100). Postnatal changes in gamma-GTP activities indicated a functional correlation with the maturation of amino acidergic structures. Kainic acid added to hippocampal extracts (0.45 and 5.0 mM) and, for comparison, to those of kidney (5.0 mM) did not yield any statistically significant effect on gamma-GTP activity.