Effect of hypophysectomy and growth hormone treatment on albumin mRNA levels in the rat liver.

A complementary DNA copy of purified rat albumin mRNA was employed in RNA-excess hybridization reactions to examine albumin mRNA levels in the liver of the hypophysectomized rat. In normal rat liver, albumin mRNA sequences were found to be about 10% of the total poly(A)-containing RNA population. Hypophysectomy reduced albumin mRNA levels by approximately 50%. Growth hormone treatment of hypophysectomized animals returned albumin mRNA to nearly normal levels. These effects on albumin mRNA sequences agreed closely with the changes in the synthesis of albumin that are assoicated with these conditions. The results suggest that hypophysectomy and growth hormone influence albumin synthesis by affecting the level of albumin mRNA.