Quantitation of mitochondrial RNA species during rat liver development: the concentration of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (CoI) mRNA increases at birth

Abstract

A quantitative study on the concentration of mitochondrial DNA and two species of mtRNA, the ribosomal (16S rRNA) and messenger (CoI mRNA) has been carried out in rat liver between -3 and 14 days of age. The cellular content of mitochondrial DNA begins to increase at one day of life and goes up linearly until 14 days of age. The cellular level of 16S rRNA and CoI mRNA changes during development: the 16S rRNA increases linearly after birth, whereas CoI mRNA shows a peak at birth and thereafter remains more or less constant. The concentration of 16S rRNA per mitochondrial DNA molecule remains substantially unchanged during development, whereas that of CoI mRNA increases before birth and, at birth, reaches values higher than in adults. These results support an independent regulation of mitochondrial rRNA and mRNA level in rat liver mitochondria during development.