Activation of tyrosine aminotransferase expression in fetal liver by 5-azacytidine.
Rat fetuses of 20 days gestational age were treated in utero with the inhibitor of DNA methylation, 5-azacytidine. The liver enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase, normally expressed at very low levels until several hours after birth, was increased by the drug in the fetal livers after a lag period of about 9 hours, reaching a level 70-fold above control levels 18 hours after treatment. The high levels attained after 5-azacytidine treatment are comparable to those of glucocorticoid-treated adult livers, and were not further increased by administration of hydrocortisone to dams carrying treated fetuses. Cytidine and two other analogs, cytosine arabinoside and 6-azacytidine, were essentially without effect.
D000818:Animals; D001374:Azacitidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000201:enzymology; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014444:Tyrosine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism*
D014444:Tyrosine Transaminase; D001374:Azacitidine