title: Characteristics of rabbit transgenic mammary gland expressing recombinant human factor VIII.
abstract: The objective of this research was to compare (i) the content of milk protein and recombinant human factor VIII (rhFVIII) in the milk of transgenic and non-transgenic rabbit females at three lactations and (ii) histological structure, ultrastructural morphology and occurrence of apoptosis in rabbit transgenic and non-transgenic mammary gland during third lactation and involution. Significant differences (t(0.05)) in milk protein content were found between transgenic and non-transgenic at all three lactations. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly higher (t(0.01)) in non-transgenic ones compared with transgenic mammary gland tissues (6.5% versus 2.4%) taken at the involution stage. Morphometrical analysis of histological preparations at the involution stage detected a significantly higher (t(0.05)) relative volume of lumen in transgenic animals compared with non-transgenic ones (60.00 versus 46.51%). Ultrastructural morphology of the transgenic mammary gland epithelium at the involution stage revealed an increased relative volume of protein globules (t(0.05)); at the lactation stage, a significantly higher volume of mitochondria (13.8%) compared with the non-transgenic (9.8%) ones was observed. These results, although revealing differences in some parameters of ultrastructure and histology, indicate no harmful effect of the mouse whey acid protein-hFVIII transgene expression on the state of mammary gland of transgenic rabbit females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Animal Reproduction, Slovak Agricultural Research Centre, Nitra, Slovakia. chrenekp@yahoo.com
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chrenek
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Makarevich
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pivko
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Massanyi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lukac
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D008894:Milk Proteins; D005169:Factor VIII