Postnatal development of glutamate metabolizing enzymes in hippocampus from mice

The specific activity profiles of the glutamate synthesizing enzymes, phosphate activated glutaminase (EC 3.5.1.2), aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1), glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2) and ornithine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.13) have been followed postnatally for 28 days in mouse hippocampus and compared to corresponding profiles in cerebellum and cerebral cortex (cf. refs 10 and 18). Phosphate activated glutaminase and glutamate dehydrogenase showed activity patterns similar to those found for cerebellum and glutamatergic granula cells cultured from cerebellum, whereas the aspartate aminotransferase activity pattern was found to be more similar to that previously observed for cerebral cortex as well as cultured cerebral interneurons which are likely to be GABAergic. The specific activity of ornithine aminotransferase was essentially unaltered during postnatal development, which is similar to what has been found for cerebellum and cerebral cortex.