Expression of the liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase mRNA in FAO-1 cells

The hormonal regulation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase gene expression was studied in the rat hepatoma cell line FAO-1. Both 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase activities were detected in FAO-1 cells, at 68% of the levels found in rat liver. Northern blot analysis showed that FAO-1 cells, like rat liver, contained a predominant species of bifunctional enzyme mRNA, which is 2.2 kb in size. A sensitive RNAase protection assay revealed the presence in FAO-1 cells of an additional mRNA species, which is generated when transcription is initiated from the skeletal muscle promoter of the rat liver/skeletal muscle gene. The liver/skeletal muscle mRNA ratio in FAO-1 cells was 10:1, which is similar to that observed in rat liver. In contrast, in another rat hepatoma cell line, FTO-2B, only the skeletal muscle mRNA was detected. Insulin and dexamethasone induced the liver bifunctional enzyme mRNA in FAO-1 cells by 2-4-fold and 10-20-fold respectively in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and their effects were antagonized by cyclic AMP. Transcription of the gene in FAO-1 cells, measured by nuclear run-on assays, was also enhanced by dexamethasone and insulin. It is concluded that the FAO-1 cell line is similar to liver with respect to both the preferential use of the liver promoter of the gene and its regulation by hormones, and is therefore an excellent model for the study of the hepatic expression of this gene.