[Expression of the liver mitochondrial genome in diabetes]

Abstract

In vivo labelled liver mitochondrial RNA of normal and alloxan-diabetic rats are hybridized with mitochondrial DNA with similar efficiency. The liver mitochondrial RNAs have equal ability to competition with N-specific complementary RNA for hybridization on mitochondrial DNA and its fragments cloned in the composition of bacterial plasmids and characterized by a definite set of genes. Differences between concurrent ability of the liver mitochondrial RNAs of normal and alloxan-diabetic animals were not observed. There were no electrophoretic distinctions in mitochondrial RNAs in both groups of animals during RNA electrophoresis in agaroso-acrylamide gel, as well. The results obtained indicate a close set of RNA molecules in the liver mitochondria of normal and diabetic rats. Thus, a previously observed RNA biosynthesis decrease in the liver mitochondria in diabetes is caused not by a selected inhibition of definite gene expression but by a gradual fall of transcription of all the mitochondrial genome parts.