Expression of ras gene family as result of compensatory renal growth in mice.

We have examined several gene expressions during the process of compensatory renal growth in mice following unilateral nephrectomy. On the 3rd, 5th and 7th days after operation in young mice (age: 5w), unilateral nephrectomy induced weight gain of the remaining kidney, but not in adults (age: 15w). It also induced maximum expression of c-H-ras and c-K-ras on the 3rd day in both young and adult mice, but there was no increase in N-ras in either. The expression levels of c-H-ras and c-K-ras were higher in young mice than in adults. However no expression of c-myc was detected at any point. Expression of metallothionein-I (MT-I) gene was detected during the first 12 h after unilateral nephrectomy both in the liver and the contralateral kidney. These data suggest that c-H-ras and c-K-ras gene expressions are in some way related to compensatory renal growth in mice and may be strongly related to hyperplasia in the contralateral kidney.