Cyclic AMP regulation of lactate dehydrogenase. Quantitation of lactate dehydrogenase M-subunit messenger RNA in isoproterenol-and N6,O2'-dibutyryl cyclic AMP-stimulated rat C6 glioma cells by hybridization analysis using a cloned cDNA probe.

We have cloned DNA complementary to mRNA coding for rat C6 glioma cell lactate dehydrogenase M-subunit. Double-stranded DNA complementary to a portion of lactate dehydrogenase mRNA was inserted into the Pst I site of plasmid pBR322 by the dC.dG tailing technique and amplified in Escherichia coli HB101. A recombinant plasmid containing lactate dehydrogenase cDNA was identified by colony hybridization to a cDNA prepared from partially purified lactate dehydrogenase mRNA and by hybridization-selected translation. The recombinant plasmid (pRLD42) contains a 680 nucleotide insert of lactate dehydrogenase mRNA. Hybridization of nick-translation pRLD42 to glioma cell poly(A)+RNA separated on agarose gel and transferred to nitrocellulose exhibited Mr = 5.9 X 10(5) for lactate dehydrogenase mRNA. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis of RNA from unstimulated and isoproterenol-stimulated glioma cells indicated a 2-fold increase of lactate dehydrogenase mRNA molecules in stimulated cells. The 2-fold increase of lactate dehydrogenase mRNA was confirmed by RNA-excess kinetic hybridization using pRLD42 DNA and poly(A)+RNA from unstimulated, isoproterenol-, and dibutyryl cAMP-stimulated glioma cells. These data demonstrate that isoproterenol and dibutyryl cAMP cause an increase of the number of lactate dehydrogenase M-subunit mRNA molecules in glioma cells which, in part, determines the extent of synthesis of the lactate dehydrogenase M-subunit.