Rapid Loss of Translatable Messenger RNA of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase During Glucose Repression in Liver

The rate of synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (EC 4.1.1.32) in rat liver decreased with a half-life of 30 min after fasted rats were refed either a chow diet or glucose. A requirement for both glucose and insulin to bring about this rapid deinduction was shown, as well as the ability of dibutyryl adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate to block the decrease in enzyme synthesis. Estimates of the stability of messenger RNA of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were made by using the inhibitors actinomycin D and cordycepin to block further messenger RNA synthesis, and then measuring the decrease in specific enzyme synthesis. It is suggested that the use of actinomycin D yields an overestimation of the template stability. The results with cordycepin imply that the enzyme messenger RNA has a short half-life of approximately 1 hr. Thus, it is possible that deinduction may proceed by way of a decrease in messenger RNA production, leading to a rapid fall in the synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.