MOLECULAR-SPECIES OF CHOLINE AND ETHANOLAMINE PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN RAT CEREBELLUM DURING DEVELOPMENT

Abstract: The molecular species composition of rat cerebellar phospholipid subclasses has been studied by HPLC after phospholipase C treatment and dinitrophenyl derivatization. During rat cerebellum development (3–90 days postpartum), cholinephosphoglycerides and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides represented ∼80% of all phospholipids, with their relative amount changing after 1 month. Among ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, the molar ratio of diacylglycerophosphoethanolamine (diacylGPE) to alkenylacylGPE decreased from ∼1.4 at 3 days to ∼0.5 after 10 days. The phospholipids investigated contained up to 12 different molecular species. The rate of accumulation of the various molecular species of diacylglycerophosphocholine (diacylGPC), diacylGPE, and alkenylacylGPE during cerebellar development allowed a classification into three main groups. The overall increase of the molecular species of the first group (6‐diacylGPC, 5‐diacylGPE, and 4‐alkenylacylGPE) was ∼ 18‐fold between 3 and 90 days, with a faster rate of accumulation between 3 and 30 days. Those of the second group (3‐diacylGPC, 5‐diacyl‐GPE, and 5‐akenylacylGPE) increased by ∼45‐fold during the same developmental period, at a slow rate before day 15 and at a faster one thereafter. The molecular species of the third group (3‐alkenylacylGPE) increased by >250‐fold between 3 and 90 days, at a very slow rate before day 21 and more quickly thereafter. The different rates of accumulation of the components of the three groups during cerebellar development suggest a preferential location of the first group in membranes of neuronal perikaryons, glial cells, and synaptosomal structures. Those of the second group appear to be located in both synaptosomal membranes and myelin sheets, and those of the third group can be considered as myelin markers. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved