Region- and age-specific differences in proglucagon gene expression in the central nervous system of wild-type and glucagon-simian virus-40 T-antigen transgenic mice.

The gene encoding proglucagon is expressed in the A-cells of the endocrine pancreas and the L-cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Proglucagon-derived peptides have also been detected in different regions of the central nervous system; however, proglucagon mRNA transcripts have been localized predominantly to the brainstem and hypothalamus. We have studied proglucagon gene expression in the brain of mice using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction technique. Proglucagon mRNA transcripts were detected in the cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem of embryonic day 19 mouse brain and in the cortex, cerebellum, brainstem, and hypothalamus of 2- to 12-week-old wild-type mice. Age-specific changes in proglucagon gene expression were observed, with a progressive decrease in the levels of proglucagon mRNA transcripts detected in the cortex of older mice. In contrast, a progressive increase in the levels of proglucagon mRNA transcripts was detected with increasing age in the brainstem. Proglucagon gene expression was also examined in the brain of glucagon-simian virus-40 (SV40) T-antigen transgenic mice. The levels of proglucagon gene expression in transgenic cerebellum and brainstem were relatively greater than those in wild-type mice on embryonic day 19, and increased levels of proglucagon mRNA transcripts were observed in transgenic cerebellum, brainstem, and hypothalamus at 2 weeks. In contrast, the levels of proglucagon mRNA transcripts were markedly reduced in the brain of 5-week-old transgenic mice. A reduction in the levels of SV40 T-antigen mRNA transcripts was also detected in the brain of transgenic mice at 5 weeks, but no suppression of the mRNA transcripts for the neuropeptide somatostatin was observed in 5-week-old transgenic brain. The results of these studies suggest that proglucagon mRNA transcripts are more widely distributed in the mouse central nervous system than previously demonstrated and that proglucagon gene expression in the brain appears to be regulated in a region- and age-specific manner. The coordinate region-specific expression and regulation of mRNA transcripts derived from the endogenous mouse proglucagon gene and a glucagon-SV40 T antigen transgene in the central nervous system of mice harboring a transgene containing 2.0 kilobases of rat proglucagon gene 5'-flanking sequences fused to the coding sequence of SV-4 large T-antigen suggest that neural-specific elements residing within the first 2.0 kilobases of glucagon gene 5'-flanking sequences are sufficient for the correct targeting and regulation of proglucagon gene expression in the brain.