Isolation and characterization of a DNA sequence complementary to an androgen-inducible messenger RNA from mouse kidney.

Clones containing sequences corresponding to testosterone-inducible RNAs of mouse kidney have been identified within a cDNA clone bank prepared from size-fractionated poly(A)-containing kidney RNA. A novel screening method was employed to specifically detect such sequences. One of these, pMK908, containing a 1.2 kilobase pair insert, was studied in detail. RNA blotting experiments show that the inserted DNA of pMK908 hybridizes to two kidney-specific RNA sequences, 2500 and 1500 nucleotides in length, both of which are rapidly induced by testosterone treatment of female mice in vivo. RNA excess hybridization studies reveal that these RNAs constitute approximately 0.004% of th total RNA population in female kidneys and are induced approximately 7-8-fold by testosterone. The RNA has been isolated and translated in a cell-free system and encodes a 43,000-dalton polypeptide chain. The induction of these RNAs by testosterone is independent of the pituitary gland, but does depend upon the testosterone receptor protein. The existence of pMK908, and other chimeric plasmids containing testosterone-inducible sequences, should be valuable in understanding the response of the mouse kidney to androgens.