Cell swelling increased the α2-macroglobulin gene expression in cultured rat hepatocytes

Abstract

The effect of cell swelling on the expression of the α2-macroglobulin (α2M) gene was studied in hepatocytes in culture. Hypoosmolarity induced an increase (3-fold increase) in the level of α2M mRNA through a corresponding stimulation of the rate of transcription of the α2M gene. The addition of raffinose (100 mM) corrected the effect of hypoosmolarity at both mRNA and transcriptional level, demonstrating that cell swelling per se was responsible for the observed effect on the expression of the α2M gene. Moreover, the effect of cell swelling was additive to that of interleukin 6, a major mediator of the acute-phase response.