Identification of a new noradrenaline induced gene in the rat heart by differential messenger-RNA display

Objective: Noradrenaline treatment of animals results in postnatal hypertrophy of the heart. This process requires many qualitative and quantitative changes in gene expression; however, the identities of the key regulatory genes which modulate the process are not known. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a recently developed technique, differential display, could provide a new route to the identification and characterisation of these critical genes. Methods: The technique of differential display was modified for use on cardiac RNA samples and the expression of clones identified by this approach was characterised by northern analysis. Results: Differential display was successfully adapted to the study of noradrenaline induced cardiac gene expression. A previously unsuspected gene was identified, the expression of which appears to be strongly modified during the onset of this process. Conclusions: Differential display offers the potential to identify and clone many of the genes critically important in regulation of growth of the mammalian heart.