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Starvation and Refeeding Regulate Glycogen Synthase Gene Expression in Rat Liver at the Posttranscriptional Level^1,2,

Department of Biochemistry and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel ^* Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093

Starvation and refeeding affect glycogen metabolism. The effects of starvation and refeeding on the level of glycogen synthase (GS) gene expression were examined in rat liver. Depletion of hepatic glycogen stores by 72 h of starvation (7% of control) was supercompensated by 24 h of refeeding a standard laboratory diet (247% of control). Upon further refeeding, glycogen concentration gradually returned to control levels after 120 h. After 72 h of starvation, GS activity and immunoreactive protein in the liver were 60–64% lower than in control rats with free access to food. After 72 h of refeeding, GS activity and immunoreactive protein returned to control values. No significant differences in GS mRNA levels were found between fed, starved and refed rats, as determined by Northern blot analysis and PCR quantification, indicating that the long-term regulation of GS gene expression in starvation and refeeding occurs via a posttranscriptional mechanism. The amount of GS mRNA associated with polyribosomes was 90% lower in starved than in fed rats. These data indicate that the efficiency of GS mRNA translation, rather than its abundance, decreases during starvation.

KEY WORDS: • glycogen synthase • gene expression • starvation • refeeding • rats

¹ Supported by the Ben-Gurion Foundation, Hebrew University Authority for Research and Development, Jerusalem, Israel.

² The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

³ To whom all correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 22 February 1995. Revision accepted 10 May 1995.

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