Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) are two disaccharidases specifically expressed in small intestinal absorptive cells. We previously showed that the transcripts of both genes are elevated within 12 h of carbohydrate intake. To examine at which locus of villus-crypt axis this response to dietary carbohydrate occurs, 6-wk-old rats were fed a low-carbohydrate diet (5% energy) for 7 d, and then force-fed either the low-carbohydrate diet or a sucrose (40% energy) diet during the last 6 h. Cryostat sectioning of jejunal segments followed by RNA blot hybridizations of the transcripts revealed that, unlike SI mRNA which was expressed maximally in the lower villus, maximal LPH mRNA level was attained at the upper villus. The distribution of the respective immunoreactive protein and the enzymatic activity was shifted more toward the villus tips for LPH than for SI. Force-feeding the sucrose diet caused an abrupt increase in SI mRNA level in the lower villus within 3 h, while the rise in LPH mRNA level occurred in the mid- and upper-villus. The diet-induced increases in the LPH mRNA and SI mRNA levels were abolished along the entire villus by the administration of actinomycin D. These results suggest that LPH gene is maximally expressed in more apical villus cells than SI gene, and that dietary sucrose elicits enhancement of the gene expressions in the villus cells which are accumulating the respective transcripts.