Tissue-specific gene expression results from a purine- and pyrimidine-free diet and 6-mercaptopurine in the rat small intestine and colon

摘要: Dietary purines and pyrimidines are not considered to have a nutritional role, much less direct effect on the functioning of gastrointestinal tract. We found that dramatic decrease in adult rat small intestinal colonic total ribonucleic acid (RNA) results from removal dietary or administration 6-mercaptopurine. Ribonucleic hybridization analysis indicated specific messenger (mRNA) for purine salvage enzymes hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase adenine intestine proximal colon but liver animals fed diet lacking pyrimidines. Levels hepatic beta-actin mRNA transcripts were generally depressed by either Liver mRNAs unaffected change lowered These data indicate nutrition 6-mercaptopurine affect both RNA, individual concentrations at sites findings potentially great significance because regulation RNA levels purine- pyrimidine-free suggests potential mechanism which components differentially control proteins synthesized body. may be related efficacy as well so-called elemental diets therapeutic agents chronic inflammatory bowel disease (i.e., Crohn's disease).