3,5,3'-Triiodothyronine-induced carbamyl-phosphate synthetase gene expression is stabilized in the liver of Rana catesbeiana tadpoles during heat shock.

One of many changes occurring during spontaneous and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3)-induced metamorphosis of the Rana catesbeiana tadpole is the permanent transition from an ammonotelic, aquatic larva to a ureotelic, terrestrial adult. T3-induced urea production is preceded by T3-induced elevation in the synthesis and level of liver-specific urea cycle enzymes essential for detoxication of ammonia in a terrestrial environment. This report focuses on establishing the effects heat shock (hs) has on the T3-induced expression of genes encoding three essential urea cycle enzymes. We demonstrate that hs stabilizes the intracellular existing levels of carbamyl-phosphate synthetase I (CPS I), the first enzyme in the urea cycle, while concurrently depressing its new synthesis. To establish the effects of hs on CPS I mRNA levels, we characterized cDNAs encoding an amphibian CPS I and demonstrate that it may represent an evolutionary link between microbial CPS and mammalian CPS I. Using this CPS I cDNA and other R. catesbeiana gene-specific probes, we demonstrate that hs depresses the level of T3-induced thyroid hormone receptor beta mRNAs but does not affect the level of T3-induced CPS I, ornithine transcarbamylase, and arginase mRNAs. These results support the contention that the hs response may involve the selective protection of some pre-existing mRNAs and proteins essential for an organism's survival.