MEAL-FEEDING SPECIFICALLY INDUCES OBESE MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION

Meal-feeding caused a rapid and specific induction of ob mRNA levels i n rat adipose tissue. A high-carbohydrate meal caused a mean 5-fold in crease in ob mRNA within 3 h after feeding and almost reached the leve ls of expression seen in rats fed ad lib. After the meal ob mRNA decli ned with a half-life of less than 2 h. The increase in ob mRNA in resp onse to the meal was prevented by prior injection of actinomycin-D, an inhibitor of transcription. None of the mRNAs for other genes involve d in lipid metabolism (lipoprotein lipase, fatty acid synthase, malic enzyme, hormone-sensitive lipase, S14 or adipsin) showed any significa nt difference between pre-meal and post-meal levels. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.