title: Effect of adrenergic and Ca2+ antagonists on increased ornithine decarboxylase expression in regenerating rat liver.
abstract: Partial hepatectomy (PH) (70% resection) causes within 4 hr an accumulation of ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17, ODC) mRNAs concomitant with an increase in ODC activity, maximum values being observed at 8 and 16 hr, respectively. In the early hours of hepatic regeneration, enhancement of transcriptional-rate of ODC gene, demonstrated by nuclear run-on analysis, can account for the accumulation of ODC mRNAs. The involvement of catecholamines in these processes is demonstrated by using prazosin and propranolol, specific antagonists of alpha 1 and beta adrenoceptors, respectively. Prazosin reduces almost completely the rise of ODC activity at 4 hr, without affecting mRNA levels. At 16 hr, enzyme activity and mRNAs increase, however, over the values observed in regenerating liver of prazosin-untreated animals. These findings suggest that alpha 1-receptor activation triggers positive control signals for ODC gene expression at the early time of liver regeneration and, on the contrary, negative signals at later times by mainly post-transcriptional and transcriptional mechanisms, respectively. Propranolol reduces similarly the initial 4 hr-rise of ODC activity. These results indicate that activation of both alpha 1- and beta-adrenoceptors causes the large increase in ODC activity. Pharmacological manipulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels by verapamil, a Ca2(+)-channel blocker, or neomycin, an inhibitor of Ca2+ release from endogenous stores, diminishes ODC activity at 4 and 16 hr after PH. ODC mRNA levels, which are not modified at 4 hr, increase over the values of partially hepatectomized rat liver at 16 hr. Trifluoperazine inhibits both ODC activity and mRNA accumulation at the times studied. As a working hypothesis it is proposed that Ca2(+)-mediated processes induced by catecholamines are involved in ODC gene expression during the prereplicative phase of liver regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Generale, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Desiderio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lugaro
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galasso
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Colombo
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000235:genetics; D065108:Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibitors; D011224:Prazosin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011433:Propranolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014268:Trifluoperazine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D002395:Catecholamines; D065108:Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibitors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014268:Trifluoperazine; D011433:Propranolol; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase; D002118:Calcium; D011224:Prazosin