1999 Volume 49 Issue 2 Pages 65-72
Phosphatidylinositol synthase (PIS) catalyses the formation of phosphatidylinositol from CDP-diacylglycerol and myo-inositol. PIS is known to be a key enzyme in the synthesis of lipids, including phosphoinositides, which produces several second messengers. The expression of PIS mRNA was investigated in the young rat (postnatal day 21) central nervous system by in situ hybridization. The expression in PIS mRNA was remarkably high in the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, cerebellum, and spinal cord. The quantitative changes of PIS mRNA during the early postnatal period were studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis in these 4 areas. In all 4 areas, the expression of PIS mRNA increased sharply in the first postnatal week, and peaked at postnatal days 7-28. However, the expression of PIS mRNA declined in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum, and declined slightly in the hippocampus and spinal cord in the adult rat. The expression of PIS mRNA may be regulated during development. The development of PIS correlates with cell proliferation and growth as well as synaptogenesis, suggesting that PIS might play an important role in these processes during the early post natal period.
