Acute-phase response of mRNAs for serum amyloid P component, C-reactive protein and prealbumin (transthyretin) in mouse liver.

Acute-phase response of mRNAs for serum amyloid P component (SAP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and prealbumin was examined in C57BL/6 mouse liver by hybridization to specific cDNA probes. Although the level of SAP mRNAs in the unstimulated mouse was about one-tenth of that of CRP mRNAs, it increased up to 60-fold during the first 20 hr, and returned gradually to the original level at 69 hr after the administration of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. On the other hand, the level of CRP mRNA rapidly increased up to 6-fold during the first 4 hr, and reverted to the original level as early as at 20 hr. In contrast, the level of mRNA for prealbumin decreased to about 0.5-fold during the first 20 hr, recovered and increased up to 1.6-fold of the original level during 32 to 69 hr.