Hormonal control of the development of tryptophan oxygenase in primary cultures of young rat hepatocytes.

Developmental increase of tryptophan oxygenase (L-tryptophan: oxygen 2, 3-oxidoreductase (decyclizing), EC 1.13.11.11) was studied using hepatocytes of neonatal rats in primary culture. Hepatocytes from rats of 2-30-days-old were isolated and cultured for 2 days. In cultured hepatocytes of 2-day-old rats, tryptophan (2.5 mM), dexamethasone (1 x 10(-5) M) and glucagon (1 x 10(-7) M) did not cause the appearance of tryptophan oxygenase. But the enzyme activity became detectable, when hepatocytes from 5-day-old rats were incubated with tryptophan, the oxygenase could be induced precociously by dexamethasone, but by glucagon. The effect of glucagon was first seen 2 weeks after birth. However, in hepatocytes of 9-day-old rats glucagon stimulated formation of cyclic AMP and protein kinase activity (EC 2.7.1.37) and also induced tyrosine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.5). When hepatocytes of 9-day-old rats were cultured for 4 days, their tryptophan oxygenase became inducible by glucagon. Insulin almost completely inhibited precocious appearance of the enzyme activity evoked by tryptophan plus dexamethasone in hepatocytes of 9-day-old rats. These studies suggest that the appearance of tryptophan oxygenase in rat liver during development is due to first the onset of gene coding for tryptophan oxygenase and then stimulation by the sequential actions of glucocorticoid and glucagon.