Regulation of mouse mammary-gland γ-glutamyltranspeptidase mRNA during pregnancy, lactation and weaning

The level of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) activity and of its mRNA were determined in the mouse mammary gland during pregnancy, lactation and weaning. The GGT activity, which is very low in the virgin-mouse mammary gland (5 munits/mg of protein), increases progressively during pregnancy (3-fold), reaches its maximum at the onset of lactation (8-fold) and returns rapidly to basal level at weaning. Although no GGT-specific mRNA is detected in the virgin-mouse mammary gland, a single faint band of 2.2 kb in size is found during pregnancy. During lactation, an additional mRNA of 2.4 kb in size appears, and the level of both mRNAs is higher. This high level of mRNA persists during weaning as well. Southern-blot analysis of mouse mammary-gland DNA provides convincing evidence that there is only one gene which codes for the two mRNAs. The present study provides the first evidence for a physiological regulation of the two GGT mRNAs in the same tissue.