SULPHATIDE SYNTHESIS IN ISOLATED OLIGODENDROGLIAL AND NEURONAL CELLS

—Cerebroside sulphotransferase activity in oligodendroglia from calf brain is 8‐fold greater per cell than in calf neurons isolated at the same time under similar conditions. However, neuronal cell fractions from calf or rat brain have significant sulphotransferase activity, and in neurons isolated from rat brain at various ages, the capacity to synthesize sulphatide increases during myelination. The neuronal and oligodendroglial enzymes have similar substrate specificities and pH optima. Less of the enzyme could be extracted with Triton X‐100 from the isolated cells than from microsomes prepared from whole brain.