title: Recombinant porcine lactoferrin expressed in the milk of transgenic mice enhances offspring growth performance.
abstract: The European Commission has proposed a permanent ban on the use of antibiotics as an ingredient in animal feed to promote growth. Lactoferrin is a globular multifunctional protein that has been shown to play a role in iron absorption and to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, lactoferrin may serve as a nontherapeutic alternative to antibiotics in livestock husbandry. As a pilot study toward this goal, transgenic mice have been generated harboring a porcine lactoferrin (pLF) gene driven by the mammary gland-specific promoter of the bovine alpha-lactalbumin (alphaLA) gene. The alphaLA-pLF hybrid gene was confirmed to have been successfully integrated and transmitted stably through the germ-line in 9 (5 females and 4 males) of 14 transgenic founders. In the female progenies of six lines analyzed, the transgene copy numbers ranged from 1 to 20 with 1-4 integration sites. Significant levels of pLF protein in milk ranging from 40 to 106 microg/mL with physical characteristics similar to those of native pLF in sow's milk were achieved in three of the transgenic lines obtained. Tissue- and stage-specific pLF expressions were restricted to the mammary gland of the transgenic female mice during lactation. It was further demonstrated that the growth performance of animal pups is enhanced by directly feeding the genetically engineered milk containing enriched pLF protein in transgenic mice. Furthermore, this enhanced growth performance in suckling mice was proportional to the concentration of pLF present in milk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shinn-Chih
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hsiao-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chih-Ching
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Meng-Fu
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Tien-Shuh
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shih-Rong
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chung-Nan
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Chuan-Mu
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Winston T K
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002417:Cattle; D004386:Duodenum; D005260:Female; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007768:Lactalbumin / Q000235:genetics; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008871:Microvilli / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013552:Swine; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D007768:Lactalbumin; D007781:Lactoferrin