Abstract
ABSTRACT: The expression of renal α1B-adrenoceptor (α1B-AR) mRNA was studied and contrasted with the expression of renal renin mRNA in fetal and newborn sheep. Fetal sheep between 90 and 91, 116 and 118, and 139 and 141 d gestation (term is 145 d gestation) as well as newborn lambs between 1 and 2 d old and 8 and 10 d old were studied (n = 3 for each age range). The role of the renal nerves in regulating changes in α1B-AR gene expression was also investigated by measuring renal cortical α1B-AR mRNA levels and receptor kd and maximum number of binding sites in 24-h-old lambs that were either denervated (n = 6) or sham-operated (n = 5) 3 d before birth. During development, renal α1B-AR mRNA levels show a marked increase in term fetuses; this increase persists into the first 2 d of life and is distinct from the developmental pattern seen for renal renin mRNA levels. Denervation of term fetuses does not alter the expression of renal α1B-AR mRNA in newborn lambs when compared with sham-operated controls but decreases significantly the expression of the renin gene (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the α1B-AR gene is developmentally regulated in the kidney in a pattern distinct from that seen for renin. Furthermore, the renal nerves, which play an important role in the regulation of renin gene expression at the time of birth, do not appear to be an important factor in the regulation of the α1B-AR during the maturation from fetal to newborn life.
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Guillery, E., Porter, C., Page, W. et al. Developmental Regulation of the α1B-Adrenoceptor in the Sheep Kidney. Pediatr Res 34, 124–128 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199308000-00003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199308000-00003
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