UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT1A7 induced in rat small intestinal mucosa by oral administration of 2-naphthoflavone

In the rat intestine, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms were highly induced by oral administration of 2-naphthoflavone, as shown by intestinal UGT activity toward l-naphthol (1-NA). The greatest increase in UGT activity occurred in the duodenum. Using UGT1A6 cDNA as a probe, we obtained three types of clones corresponding to UGT1A2, UGT1A6 and UGT1A7, in a ratio of 1:1:8, from a cDNA library constructed from the 2-naphthoflavone-treated rat intestine. The induction of each isoform was evaluated by means of Northern blotting with isoform-specific probes. The mRNAs of UGT1A6 (glucuronizing various phenolic xenobiotics) and the mRNAs of UGT1A7 (glucuronizing the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene) were expressed constitutively and were highly induced in the duodenum and proximal jejunum. S1 mapping showed that induction of the isoforms of the UGT1 family was more pronounced in the liver than in the small intestine and that UGT1A7 was the major UGT1 isoform in the small intestine of vehicle-treated rats and in that of 2-naphthoflavone-treated rats. These results indicate that, in rats, UGT1A7 is expressed constitutively and is particularly inducible in the small intestine. In the light of these results, we believe that the UGT1A7 isoform would play an important role in glucuronidation in the small intestinal mucosa of rats.