Identification of a new noradrenaline induced gene in the rat heart by differential mRNA display.

OBJECTIVE

Noradrenaline treatment of animals results in postnatal hypertrophy of the heart. This process requires many qualitative and quantitative changes in gene expression; however, the identities of the key regulatory genes which modulate the process are not known. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a recently developed technique, differential display, could provide a new route to the identification and characterisation of these critical genes.

METHODS

The technique of differential display was modified for use on cardiac RNA samples and the expression of clones identified by this approach was characterised by northern analysis.

RESULTS

Differential display was successfully adapted to the study of noradrenaline induced cardiac gene expression. A previously unsuspected gene was identified, the expression of which appears to be strongly modified during the onset of this process.

CONCLUSIONS

Differential display offers the potential to identify and clone many of the genes critically important in regulation of growth of the mammalian heart.