Activation of ornithine decarboxylase in epithelial cells of rat intestine.
Intestinal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is strongly induced by dietary amino acid and protein feeding. However, the consequence of this induction is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between intestinal ODC activity and DNA synthesis in villus and crypt cells of rat intestine. Single amino acid diets and protein diets stimulated ODC activity in villus cells, but not in crypt cells. However a 20% casein diet induced ODC activity and increased the putrescine concentration in villus and crypt cells. Administration of alpha-difluoromethylornithine, a suicide inhibitor of ODC, prevented both an increase in putrescine level and DNA synthesis in the crypt cells. Observations suggested that the induction of ODC is necessary to initiate DNA synthesis in rat intestinal epithelium.