Expression of Albumin Messenger RNA Detected by in Situ Hybridization in Preneoplastic and Neoplastic Lesions in Rat Liver1
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(CANCER RESEARCH 46, 5903-5912, November 1986] Expression of Albumin Messenger RNA Detected by in Situ Hybridization in Preneoplastic and Neoplastic Lesions in Rat Liver1 Michael Schwarz,2 Gabriele Peres, David G. Beer, MaimónMaor, Albrecht Buchmann, Werner Kunz, and Henry C. Pitot German Cancer Research Center, Institut of Biochemistry, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-6900 Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany [M. S., G. P., M. M., A. B., W. K.J, and McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, The Medical School, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 ¡D.G. B., H. C. P.] ABSTRACT synthesis and excretion are frequently reduced in chemically induced primary hepatoma and transplantable hepatoma cells The process of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis is characterized by the in vivo and in vitro (2, 4, 7-10). For reasons which are not fully appearance of preneoplastic lesions showing changes in the expression of various marker enzymes. We have analyzed the phenotype of small understood the expression of albumin was found to vary exten preneoplastic foci and expansively growing nodules in liver sections sively in hepatoma and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (7). obtained from rats treated with various carcinogens. Changes within the We were therefore interested to know whether such variability lesions in canalicular adenosine triphosphatase, •y-glutamyltranspepti- in albumin expression could already be detected in early pre dase, NADPH-(cytochrome P-450) reducÃase,cytochrome P-450 PB2, neoplastic and neoplastic lesions in rat liver. These focally epoxide hydrolase, and glycogen content were detected by means of growing lesions, which are generally regarded as tumor precur enzyme histochemical and immunohistochemical staining procedures. In sors, are characterized by changes in the expression of marker parallel sections the expression of albumin messenger RNA was investi enzymes such as canalicular ATPase, GGT, glucose-6-phospha- gated by in situ hybridization using a "S-labeled albumin specific com tase, NADPH-(cytochrome P-450) reducÃase, EH, and micro- plementary DNA probe. In general, small preneoplastic lesions showed somal monooxygenases (11-20). Both the multiplicity of en unchanged levels of albumin messenger RNA. In contrast, the expression of albumin messenger RNA was found to be reduced to varying degrees zyme changes which occur in distinct patterns within individual in large hepatic nodules. An expression of a-fetoprotein messenger RNA foci and nodules and the inducibility of certain enzymes point could not be detected in any of the nodules. No direct correlation between towards alterations in processes directly linked to cell differ the enzyme phenotype of the lesions and the degree in reduction of entiation. albumin messenger RNA could be established except that the reduction Albumin and AFP have been localized in livers of carcinogen was most pronounced in nodules which had lost their ability to store treated rats by means of immunohistochemical staining tech glycogen. Since the synthesis and excretion of albumin is a typical niques (5, 21-25). In the present investigation we have studied function of the differentiated hepatocyte in the adult animal, the observed the expression of albumin mRNA by using a powerful in situ decrease in albumin messenger RNA expression in large hepatic nodules hybridization technique in frozen liver sections containing pre is in accordance with the hypothesis of a gradual differentiation or retrodifferentiation of the cell population during carcinogenesis. Hyper- neoplastic and neoplastic lesions induced by treatment of rats plastic nodules produced by continuous treatment of rats with 4-dimeth- with various carcinogens. ylaminoazobenzene showed increased rather than decreased albumin levels. The analysis of albumin messenger RNA expression might there fore be used as a tool to discriminate between nodules of differing MATERIALS AND METHODS biological nature and fate. Treatment of Animals. Female Wistar rats (Zentralinstitut fürVer suchstierkunde, Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany) were used INTRODUCTION throughout the experiments. Treatment with carcinogens was started at an age of 4 weeks. Five rats were given DEN in the drinking water The synthesis and excretion of albumin is one of the major at a dose of 100 mg/liter for 10 days. Following a recovery period of functions of the differentiated hepatocytes in mammalian liver. 10 days they were put on a diet containing 0.05% phénobarbital.The In the adult animal it is produced at high and constant levels time periods of treatment are given in Table 1. One rat was given 4- (1,2). The gene copy number has been shown to be in the range DAB (0.06%) in the diet for 85 days and was killed 2 days later. of one to three/haploid rat genome (1, 3). Variation in the The effects of partial hepatectomy and phénobarbitaltreatment on expression of the gene is not due to permanent changes in gene albumin mRNA expression in liver were investigated in 12-week-old number or structure but modulated by the steady state concen rats. Partial hepatectomy was performed according to the method of Higgins and Anderson (26). Phénobarbital-sodium (80 mg/kg body trations of the specific mRNA molecules (1,2, 4). Albumin is under developmental control. It is not or only minutely ex weight in 0.9% NaCl solution) was administered by i.p. injection. The pressed in the fetus where large quantities of «-fetoprotein are treatment schedules are given in the legend to Fig. 9. Preparation of Tissue Sections. Livers of rats were removed under produced instead, whereas during normal adult life only trace ether anesthesia and immediately frozen at —40"C.Microscope slides amounts of AFP3 are found (5, 6). The levels of albumin were rinsed in acetone prior to use, air dried, and briefly immersed in a 1% solution of serum albumin. Slides were then dried at 70'C and Received 1/28/86; revised 7/17/86; accepted 7/24/86. stored until use. For in situ hybridization, 10-/im frozen sections were The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment prepared, mounted on the albumin-coated slides, and air dried (10-20 of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. min). For enzyme and immunohistochemistry freshly prepared cryostat 1This work was partly supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, sections were used. ATPase activity was stained by the method of Sonderforschungsbereich 302 and by grants from the National Cancer Institute (CA-07575 and CA-22484) (H. C. P.) and is part of the doctoral thesis of G. P. Wachstein and Meisel (27) and GGT activity was stained according to The paper is dedicated to Professor Dr. E. Hecker on the occasion of his 60th the method of Rutenberg et al. (28). Glycogen content was demon birthday. strated by periodic acid-Schiff reaction (29). Slides were counterstained 2To whom requests for reprints should be addressed. with toluidine blue. Immunohistochemical staining for albumin, cyto 3The abbreviations used are: AFP, a-fetoprotein; EH, epoxide hydrolase; 4- chrome P-450 PB2, and EH and staining of NADPH-(cytochrome P- DAB, 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene; DEN, diethylnitrosamine; GGT, -y-glutamyl transpeptidase; cDNA, complementary DNA; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; 450) reducÃasewere performed as previously described (16). Rabbit SSC, standard saline citrate (0.15 M sodium chloride: 0.015 M sodium citrate, anti-albumin antiserum was from Bioscience products, Emmenbrucke. pH 7.4). Switzerland. Antisera against the other enzymes were a kind gift of 5903 Downloaded from cancerres.aacrjournals.org on September 30, 2021. © 1986 American Association for Cancer Research. ALBUMIN mRNA DETECTED BY IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION Table 1 Expression of albumin and AFP mRNA, glycogen, and marker enzymes in neoplaslic nodules of rat lirer after start of NADPH Animal12 treatmentGGT186 (days) ATPase storageEH± reducÃase P-450PB2+±± AFP±± (10days)DEN +190 -' +± + (a)" (10days)DEN +333 (b)3 +±' ± - ±± (a) (10days)DEN +'333 ++ ±' (b)4 ±±£-Not ± ±± (a) (10days)DEN ±±285 -' -' ± (b)56Carcinogen"DEN +±+• + ±±' (10days)4-DAB +87 +5+ ±+ (continuously)Phénobarbital*YesYesYesYesYesNoKilling +Glycogen + Not ± determinedCytochromedeterminedAlbumin " Carcinogens were given in the drinking water (DEN) or diet (4-DAB) for the time periods indicated. b Phénobarbitalwas given continuously in the diet and was withdrawn 10-14 days before killing except for rats 1, 2. and 5 which were kept on phénobarbitaluntil death. c Data are expressed in relation to surrounding tissue as decreased (- or ), unchanged (±),or increased (+). " More than one large neoplastic nodule is designated by (a) and (b). ' Nonhomogeneous staining. Drs. R. Wolf and F. Oesch, University of Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany. Hybridization Probes. Cloned rat albumin cDNA pRS-1 (30), rat a- fetoprotein cDNA pRAFP 87 (31), and human actin pseudogene cDNA phi 1 (32) were nick translated according to the method of Rigby et al. (33) using 32P-labeled (for RNA dot blots) or 35S-labeled (for in situ hybridization) deoxyribonucleotides (Amersham Buchler, Braun schweig, Federal Republic of Germany). The reaction was run for 1 (32P) to 3 (35S) h using the Bethesda Research Laboratories nick translation kit, 50 ^Ci [32P]dCTP or [35S]dCTP (Amersham Buchler) and 0.2 MgDNA. The resulting specific activities ranged from 2-5 x lO'cpm/Mgof DNA. In Situ Hybridization.