In addition to glucagon's role in regulating glucose production from the liver, a number of
extrahepatic effects of glucagon have been reported. We have therefore examined various
rat tissues for glucagon receptor mRNA expression. In liver, kidney, heart, adipose tissue,
spleen, pancreatic islets, ovary, and thymus, glucagon receptor mRNA expression was
found to be relatively abundant whereas lower levels were detected in stomach, small
intestine, adrenal gland, thyroid, and skeletal muscle. The presence of glucagon receptor …