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In chronic renal failure (CRF), renal ammoniagenesis and handling of ornithine cycle intermediates (ornithine, citrulline, and arginine) are disturbed. The present study examined the molecular mechanisms of these disturbances in kidney and liver of rats with moderate CRF induced by 5/6 nephrectomy. The steady state level of mRNA for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) in both kidney and liver were unaffected by CRF. On the other hand, that for phosphate-dependent glutaminase (PDG) was increased while that for ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) was decreased in the diseased kidney. Combined with previously reported enzymatic activities, our findings suggest that, in CRF, gene expression is responsible for enzymatic changes of PDG and ODC, not of PEPCK and ASS. Underexpression of ODC, resulting in impaired renal polyamine synthesis, may contribute to progression of CRF. Finally, the significant increase in renal mRNA expression of beta-actin precludes the use of this molecule as a reference in CRF.

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