Expression of the inducible form of the nitric oxide synthase gene in the livers of mice with chronic hepatitis.
The interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) transgenic mouse expresses the exogenous IFN-gamma gene in the liver and develops chronic hepatitis. For the present experiment, four IFN-gamma transgene (+) mice of 48 weeks of age and 16 IFN-gamma transgene (+) mice of 8 weeks of age were used. The four IFN-gamma transgene (+) mice of 48 weeks of age showed significantly elevated plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and expressed the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA in the liver. Of the 16 IFN-gamma transgene (+) mice of 8 weeks of age, iNOS mRNA was expressed in the livers of three. These three mice exhibited higher plasma ALT levels than the other mice of 8 weeks of age. The present results suggest that iNOS mRNA expression in the liver might be correlated with the progression of hepatitis.
Okamoto
T
T
Research Laboratories, Nippon Chemiphar Co., Ltd., Saitama 341-0005, Japan.
Yamamura
K
K
Hino
O
O
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D018450:Disease Progression; D015870:Gene Expression; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse; D000410:Alanine Transaminase