Tissue-specific regulation of the growth hormone receptor gene in streptozocin-induced diabetes in the rat

Abnormalities of GH secretion and clearance are welldocumented in poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but the contribution of the receptor (GHR) and the GH-binding protein (GHBP) to these abnormalities has not been defined. We studied the expression of the GHR/GHBP gene in the livers, hearts and kidneys in streptozocin-induced diabetes (STZ-D) in the rat. GHR and GHBP mRNA levels were measured by Northern blot and ribonuclease protection assays. Whereas levels of GHR and GHBP mRNA were significantly decreased in liver and heart of STZ-D rats when compared with the control group (P<0.01), GHR mRNA was significantly increased in the kidneys of STZ-D rats (P=0.03)