Heterogeneous expression of glutamine synthetase mRNA in rat liver parenchyma revealed by in situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis of RNA from periportal and perivenous hepatocytes

Using radiolabeled specific cDNA glutamine synthetase mRNA could be detected by in situ hybridization exclusively within those few perivenous hepatocytes which stained immunocytochemically for glutamine synthetase. This localization of glutamine synthetase mRNA was recently reported by Moorman et al. [(1988) J. Histochem. Cytochem. 36, 751-755]. Biotinylated cDNA was not suitable for mRNA detection because of a very high background staining under the conditions of in situ hybridization. Dot blot and Northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from periportal and perivenous subfractions of hepatocytes also demonstrated the exclusive perivenous localization of two hybridizable glutamine synthetase mRNAs of length 2.8 and 1.6 kilobases. These results indicate that the unique heterogeneity of glutamine synthetase in rat liver parenchyma is controlled at the pretranslational level.