title: Coordinate elevations of liver delta-aminolevulinate synthase and cytochrome P-450 RNA by phenobarbital in chicken embryos: the effects of heme.
abstract: 1. The role of heme in the coordinate elevations of liver delta-aminolevulinate (ALA) synthase activity and microsomal cytochrome P-450 concentration induced by phenobarbital (PB) was investigated in the chicken embryo. 2. Eighteen day old chicken embryos were given PB, and the changes in liver content of PB-inducible cytochrome P-450 RNA and of ALA synthase RNA were determined at different times after exposure to the drug. 3. The concentrations of both types of RNA increased rapidly after PB administration, and by 9 hr the level of ALA synthase RNA was 55-fold higher than control and that of cytochrome P-450 RNA was 7-fold higher than normal. 4. While the rate of increase in ALA synthase activity paralleled closely that of the enzyme's RNA concentration, the rate of increase of spectrally active cytochrome P-450 concentration in microsomes lagged behind that of the apoprotein's RNA by several hours. 5. To test whether heme depletion was responsible for the coordinate inductions of the two enzymes, embryos were loaded with ALA 2 hr before exposure to PB. 6. The protocol led to a drop in the PB-inducible ALA synthase RNA concentration and to an increase in that of cytochrome P-450 RNA, measured 6 hr after drug administration. 7. In primary cultures of hepatocytes, hemin in the culture medium caused a modest drop in ALA synthase RNA concentration but had a variable effect on that of cytochrome P-450 RNA in cells incubated with PB for 9 hr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park 20742.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: I Z
authors.initials: IZ
authors.lastname: Ades
mesh_terms: D000624:5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015342:DNA Probes; D004790:Enzyme Induction / Q000187:drug effects; D006418:Heme / Q000502:physiology*; D006427:Hemin / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006418:Heme; D006427:Hemin; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D000624:5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase; D010634:Phenobarbital