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Gene‐specific acquisition of hormonal responsiveness in rat liver during development
Author(s) -
Johnson Alfred C.,
Lee KaiLin,
Isham Kenneth R.,
Kenney Francis T.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.240370211
Subject(s) - tyrosine aminotransferase , hormone , gene , biology , endocrinology , gene expression , medicine , insulin , fetus , in utero , pregnancy , genetics , enzyme inducer , enzyme , biochemistry
Cloned cDNAs were used in hybridization analyses to assess hormonal responsiveness of two similarly regulated genes in livers of late‐term fetal rats. Transcription of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene and of gene 33 (Lee et al.: J Biol Chem 260:16433–16438, 1985) is enhanced by glucocorticoids and by each of the usually antagonistic hormonal agents, insulin and cAMP, in adult liver, and that of both genes is developmentally activated at or just prior to birth. The mRNA of gene 33 was found to be significantly increased by each of the hormonal regulators in livers of fetuses treated in utero. Expression of the nearly silent aminotransferase gene in fetal liver was appreciably increased by cAMP but was refractory to control by either glucocorticoids or insulin; capacity of this gene to respond to insulin was not realized until several days postpartum. The data indicate specificity in the developmental acquisition of the capacity of individual genes to respond to hormonal regulators.