UDP-galactose: ceramide galactosyltransferase of rat central nervous system myelin during development

The activity of UDP-galactose:hydroxy fatty acid containing ceramide galactosyltransferase was studied in the myelin and microsomal fractions of rat cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum and spinal cord during development. In all three regions, the specific activity of the enzyme reached a maximum in myelin prior to that in the microsomal membranes. This temporal relationship between myelin and microsomal fraction was similar in all the three regions, although the overall timing was shifted corresponding to known differential timing of myelin deposition in these regions. The activity of the enzyme from both the membranes, during development, increased in parallel with temperature up to 45 degrees C. Specific localization of galactosyltransferase in early myelin may suggest specific role of the enzyme in the myelination process.