Variations in the level of albumin mRNA and the transcription rate of the albumin gene in rats with adenine-induced renal failure were compared with those in normal rats. A paired feeding schedule was employed to eliminate any nutritional differences between normal rats and rats with adenine-induced renal failure. The albumin mRNA level isolated from the liver became lower as the period of adenine administration lengthened. However, there was no difference in the transcription rate of the albumin gene between the two rat groups. These results suggest that a post-transcriptional process is responsible for the renal failure-induced repression of albumin synthesis. Furthermore, plasma glucagon levels in adenine-induced renal failure specimens were markedly higher than those in the normal group, whereas we found no difference in the plasma insulin level between normal and adenine-fed rats. These investigations provide evidence that the decrease in the level of albumin mRNA in renal failure may be partly related to the elevated level of glucagon.