Transcriptional switch from albumin to α-fetoprotein and changes in transcription of other genes during carbon tetrachloride induced liver regeneration

During liver regeneration induced by CCl₄ administration to rats, changes in the relative transcription rates of albumin and α-fetoprotein genes have been measured in conjunction with other liver-specific and general cellular function genes. Within 24 h following CCl₄ administration, albumin gene transcription decreases by 85%, whereas α-fetoprotein transcription increases from undetectable levels to 50% of that observed for albumin. These changes precede maximal [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA which peaks at 48 h. Other genes related to liver-specific functions, such as ligandin, arantitrypsin, and cytochrome P-450's, as well as general cellular genes pro α₁- and pro α₂-collagen, β-actin, and α-tubulin, respond in kinetic patterns often distinct from each other and from albumin and α-fetoprotein. Changes in the steady-state levels of albumin and α-fetoprotein mRNA correlate with changes in transcription, but there is a lag in α-fetoprotein mRNA accumulation, which peaks at 72 h following CCl₄ administration. These studies indicate that reciprocal changes in albumin and α-fetoprotein gene transcription occur during CCl₄-induced liver regeneration, leading to changes in the level of these specific mRNAs. These changes precede DNA synthesis and would appear to represent an alteration in differentiated function of hepatocytes in conjunction with the liver regenerative process.