Abstract
Hepatic functional albumin-mRNA was measured in the following groups of rats: (a) puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN)-nephrotic rats, (b) PAN-nephrotic rats treated with actinomycin D prior to sacrifice, (c) control rats, and (d) control rats treated with actinomycin D. Albumin mRNA was translated in an mRNA-dependent cell-free system from rabbit reticulocyte lysate. Albumin-mRNA increased about 2-fold in PAN-nephrotic rats. This increase was abolished in vivo in PAN-nephrotic rats treated with actinomycin D. Albumin mRNA was not significantly modified in control rats treated with actinomycin D. These data suggest that the increased level of hepatic functional albumin mRNA observed in PAN-nephrotic rats in vivo was due mainly to the increased rate of albumin gene transcription.