title: Transcriptional regulation of the glucokinase gene by biotin in starved rats.
abstract: The purpose of this work was to investigate whether biotin, a water-soluble vitamin, regulates the glucokinase gene. Biotin was administered intraperitoneally to starved rats, and the time course of glucokinase induction was followed over a time period of 12 h. The glucokinase mRNA was increased 19.6-fold during the first 1 h after biotin administration, afterwards rapidly decayed, and was hardly detectable by 4 h. The amount of glucokinase activity as determined by conventional enzyme activity assay increased in a time-dependent fashion, reaching 4-fold by 2 h of biotin administration. The transcriptional activity of the gene as measured by a nuclear run-on assay was increased about 6.7-fold within 45 min of biotin administration. These findings indicate that biotin can regulate the glucokinase gene at the transcriptional stage in the starved rat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dakshinamurti
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001710:Biotin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005941:Glucokinase / Q000235:genetics*; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP) / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013217:Starvation / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001710:Biotin; D005941:Glucokinase; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP)