Biochemical compartmentation of fish tissues. II. Nonspecific phosphomonoesterases in brain.

The specific activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases in different regions of the brain of 9 nutritionally important fishes were worked out. The region consisting of pituitary, hypothalamus and thalamus showed the highest acid and alkaline phosphatase activities. Least activities of both the enzymes were found in the cerebellum and medulla oblongata. The piscivorous fishes contain the highest acid and alkaline phosphatase activity followed by cat fishes and major carps. The distributional pattern of these 2 enzymes in 4 regions of the brain of 9 fishes is the same.