The expression changes of genes associated with protein metabolism, folding, transport, localizati on and assembly during rat liver regeneration.

To study the expression and function of protein metabolism, folding, transport, localization and assembly-associated genes in rat liver regeneration (LR) at transcriptional level, we obtained above genes from databases and scientific articles, detected their expression profiles in rat LR using Rat Genome 230 2.0 array, and determined liver regeneration-associated genes by comparing the partial hepatectomy (PH) group with sham operation (SO) group. Totally 1147 genes were preliminarily confirmed to be LR-associated. The results from the chip detection demonstrated that genes involved in the above biological processes were mostly up-regulated in rat LR; protein metabolism-participating genes were initially expressed mainly at 0.5-1 h and 16-30 h following PH; protein degradation-accelerating genes outnumbered protein accumulation-promoting genes between 0.5-12 h, whereas the latter were more than the former during 16-48 hours; protein synthesis-involved genes were more frequently up-regulated at 16,24,42 and 66 h, especially at 42 h; up-regulation of protein degradation-associated genes dominated almost during the whole period of LR, especially at forepart and prophase; the up-regulated protein folding-associated genes were predominant than down-regulated at 2, 16-24, 42, 66, 72 and 168 h, especially at 66 h; protein transport and localization-associated genes were predominantly up-regulated during the whole period of LR, especially at 66 h; and most of protein complex assembly-associated genes were up-regulated before 96 h, especially at 12 h. it was inferred according to the above analysis that protein synthesis was enhanced at metaphase of LR, and the activities of protein degradation, folding, transport, localization and assembly were vigorous almost during the whole period of LR.