Tissue-specific regulation of the concentration of calbindin D28K mRNA in the developing chicken.

A BamHI-HindIII restriction fragment containing the 5'-terminal portion of the gene encoding chicken Calbindin D28K was sequenced and used as a probe in Northern-blot hybridizations to RNA extracted from the brain and intestine of chickens at various stages of development. In both tissues Calbindin D28K mRNA consists of a family of three species, which differ by size. In the intestine Calbindin D28K mRNAs appear at hatching and reach a peak at day 7. In the brain the same RNA species are easily detected at least 7 days before hatching, show a moderate increase at hatching and remain essentially constant during the first 10 days of adult life. The concentration of Calbindin D28K mRNAs in the intestine is strictly dependent on Vitamin D, while it is not in the cerebellum.