Changes in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in developing embryonic chick skeletal muscle and spinal cord.

Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity was examined in the developing embryonic chick in brachial and lumbar spinal cord and pectoral and leg muscle. Enzyme activity was generally highest at the earliest stage examined, embryonic day 5. The developmental profiles for G6PDH activity in the two muscles were similar: a sharp initial decrease occurred between days 5 and 9, with relatively low levels present by day 18; peaks of G6PDH activity at days 12 and 16 were more prominent in leg muscle. Similar levels of G6PDH were also detected in spinal cord with the developmental profile in the brachial spinal cord resembling that seen in muscle. In lumbar spinal cord, initial G6PDH activity was lower than in brachial spinal cord; the developmental profile, however, resembled that seen in the brachial spinal cord, with an initial drop in enzyme activity seen between days 5 and 7. Neural regulation of G6PDH activity in mature muscle is believed to repress enzyme synthesis. The drop in G6PDH activity observed in embryonic spinal cord and muscle between days 5 and 9 coincides with the initiation of functional neuromuscular contacts. Hence, the normal regulation of G6PDH during embryonic development may involve the repression of G6PDH in spinal cord neurons and muscle, possibly effected by their interaction.