Induction of UDPglucose dehydrogenase during development, organ culture, and exposure to phenobarbital. Its relation to levels of UDPglucuronic acid and overall glucuronidation in chicken and mouse.

Liver UDPglucose in early chick-enbryo has, by the 19th day of incubation, reached levels existing in young hatched (White Leghorn) chicks. In developing ASH/TO mouse liver, the dehydrogenase is low, but increases sharply at late foetal and weaning stages; adult activity is greater in females than males. The UDPglucuronic acid content of embryo liver from at least 12 days resembles that of adult chicken; in mouse liver it rises over birth and infancy. These differences in relative rates of development of enzyme and nucleotide in the 2 species can explain why overall glucuronidation by liver appears in chick rapidly after hatching, but in mouse only gradually during infancy. UDPglucose dehydrogenase increases in embryo liver, probably by induction, 2-3-fold during culture with phenobarbital and some 5-fold when exposed to the drug in ovo. Phenobarbital treatment also increases the enzyme in late foetal and adult mice, abolishing the sex difference. Differences between induction of UDPglucose dehydrogenase and UDPglucuronyl transferase during development, culture and phenobarbital treatment indicate that control mechanism for these two enzymes are not directly linked.