title: The effects of ovine placental lactogen and bovine growth hormone on hepatic and mammary gene expression in lactating sheep.
abstract: The ability of ovine placental lactogen (oPL) to bind to the growth hormone receptor (GHR) raises the possibility that oPL may exert a growth hormone (GH)-like action on galactopoiesis. We have compared the effects of treating lactating ewes for 5 days with an equimolar dose (0.1 mg/kg/day, administered as two equal doses 12 hourly) of either bovine growth hormone (bGH) (n = 10), oPL (n = 10) or saline (n = 9) on hepatic and mammary GHR, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) gene expression and hepatic GHR number. Hepatic GHR and IGFBP-3 mRNA were unaltered by bGH or oPL treatment. Hepatic IGF-I mRNAs increased following bGH (P < 0.05) but not oPL treatment. GHR gene expression was greater in liver compared to mammary gland extracts. There was no effect of either bGH or oPL treatment on mammary GHR, IGF-I or IGFBP-3 mRNA or hepatic GHR number. These studies confirm the galactopoietic effects of bGH in lactating ruminants and suggest that the mechanism of this action is not via increased hepatic GHR number or gene expression. In addition, the increase in hepatic but not mammary IGF-I mRNA with bGH treatment suggests an endocrine action of IGF-I on milk synthesis. These studies also demonstrate that an equimolar dose of oPL is not galactopoietic or somatogenic in the lactating ewe.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Developmental Medicine and Biology, Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Bassett
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Breier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klempt
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: McCutcheon
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Gluckman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D010928:Placental Lactogen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin / Q000235:genetics*; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone; D010928:Placental Lactogen