Age-related changes in growth hormone-immunoreactive cells in the anterior pituitary gland of Jcl: Wistar-TgN (ARGHGEN) 1Nts rats (Mini rats).
Rats of the Jcl: Wistar-TgN (ARGHGEN) 1Nts strain (Mini rats) are transgenic animals carrying an antisense RNA transgene for rat growth hormone (GH); they show poor somatic growth and a low blood GH level compared to age-matched wild-type Wistar (non-Mini) rats. The purpose of the present study was to investigate age-related changes in growth hormone-immunoreactive (GH-IR) cells in the anterior pituitary gland (AP) of Mini rats at four, six, and eight weeks of age. The body weight and size of the GH-IR cells of Mini rats was significantly lower than that of non-Mini rats at six and eight weeks of age; however, this difference was not observed at four weeks of age. The AP volume and the number of GH-IR cells in Mini rats were significantly smaller than those of the age-matched non-Mini rats at the three ages. These results suggest that the abnormal development of GH-IR cells in the AP induced by the GH antisense RNA transgene is responsible for the poor somatic growth and the low blood GH levels in Mini rats.
Matsumoto
Yoshiki
Y
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan.
Tsukamoto
Yasuhiro
Y
Miki
Takanori
T
Ogawa
Kazushige
K
Lee
Kyoung-Youl
KY
Yokoyama
Toshifumi
T
Satriotomo
Irawan
I
Li
Hong-Peng
HP
Gu
He
H
Wang
Zhi-Yu
ZY
Karasawa
Shigeru
S
Ueda
Susumu
S
Sasaki
Fumihiko
F
Takeuchi
Yoshiki
Y
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D016372:RNA, Antisense; D013006:Growth Hormone