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Diet‐ and hormone‐induced reversal of the carbamoylphosphate synthetase mRNA gradient in the rat liver lobulus
Author(s) -
Moorman Antoon F.M.,
de Boer Piet A.J.,
Charles Robert,
Lamers Wouter H.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(90)80494-4
Subject(s) - messenger rna , chemistry , biochemistry , gene
A hybridocytochemical analysis of adult liver from normal control and from hormonally and dietary‐treated rats was carried out, using radioactively‐labelled probes for the mRNAs of glutamine synthetase (GS), carbamoylphosphate synthetase (CPS) and phospho enol pyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). In line with previous findings, GS mRNA is exclusively expressed in a small pericentral compartment, CPS mRNA exclusively in a contiguous large periportal compartment and PEPCK mRNA across the entire porto‐central distance. The density of labelling in CPS and PEPCK mRNA‐positive hepatocytes decreases in a porto‐central direction. Starvation resulted in a reversal of the gradient of CPS mRNA within its periportal compartment; glucose refeeding counteracted this effect. Livers of glucocorticosteroid‐treated, starved or diabetic rats also revealed a reversal of the normal gradient of CPS mRNA, but now across the entire porto‐central distance. The patterns of expression of GS and PEPCK mRNA remained essentially unchanged, notwithstanding substantial changes in the levels of expression. It is concluded that blood‐borne factors constitute the major determinants for the expression patterns of CPS mRNA within the context of the architecture of the liver lobulus.