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Cytochemical Redistribution of 5′‐Nucleotidase in the Developing Cat Visual Cortex
Author(s) -
Schoen S. W.,
Kreutzberg G. W.,
Singer W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1993.tb00487.x
Subject(s) - 5' nucleotidase , neuropil , visual cortex , nucleotidase , neuroscience , synapse , biology , cortex (anatomy) , anatomy , neocortex , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , endocrinology , adenosine , central nervous system
The adenosine‐producing ectoenzyme 5′‐nucleotidase has recently been shown to undergo a marked redistribution during development of the cat visual cortex and to be involved in the remodelling of ocular dominance columns (Schoen et al., J. Comp. Neurol. , 296 , 379 – 392, 1990). Using an enzyme‐cytochemical technique, we now investigate the developmental redistribution of 5′‐nucleotidase activity in area 17 of kittens at the ultrastructural level. Between postnatal days 35 and 42, when 5′‐nucleotidase is concentrated in layer IV, enzyme reaction product occupies the clefts of asymmetrical synapses within the neuropil. During later development (9th and 13th postnatal weeks), when 5′‐nucleotidase spreads over all cortical laminae, the enzyme disappears from its synaptic localization and becomes increasingly associated with astrocytic membranes. The transient appearance of 5′‐nucleotidase at synapses parallels the time‐course and laminar profile of the synaptic remodelling which takes place during the critical period of visual cortex development. This suggests that synapse‐bound 5′‐nucleotidase activity plays a role in synaptic malleability, whereas its later association with glial profiles is likely to reflect other functions of the enzyme.