SERUM FROM RATS WITH ACUTE-PANCREATITIS INDUCES EXPRESSION OF THE PAPMESSENGER-RNA IN THE PANCREATIC ACINAR CELL-LINE AR-42J

PAP is a pancreatic secretory protein expressed in the pancreas during the acute phase of pancreatitis. We have investigated the effect of t he serum from rats with acute pancreatitis (SAP) on the expression of the PAP mRNA in AR-42J cells. PAP mRNA is strongly induced by SAP in a dose-dependent manner. This induction is abolished by preheating the SAP or diminished by treating the cells with cycloheximide. In additio n, amylase but not actin mRNA expression was induced by a different SA P factor. We transfected the AR-42J cells with a chimeric gene contain ing 1.2 kbp 5'-flanking region of the PAP promoter linked to the CAT r eporter gene. The CAT activity was significatively increased in the ce lls, on treating them with SAP. Our results show : first, SAP contains factors responsible for the PAP mRNA expression and secondly, the cis -acting elements are localized within the 1.2 kbp upstream region of t he transcription initiation site. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.