Phospholipids and ATPase activities in the developing chick brain.

During the embryogenesis of chick brain an increase in the specific activities of Na,K- and Mg-ATPase takes place. We determined the quantities of the phospholipids phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin in the developing chicken brain by quantitative thin-layer chromatography and found changes in their composition during the first 18 days after incubation. The increase in the Na,K-ATPase activity was proportional to the increase in phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine; the increase in the Mg-ATPase activity was approximately proportional to the increase in phosphatidylethanolamine.