title: Generation of bi-transgenic pigs overexpressing human lactoferrin and lysozyme in milk.
abstract: Intensive swine production industry uses antibiotics to treat diseases and improve pig growth. This can not only cause antibiotic resistance, but can also pollute the environment or eventually affect human public health. To date, human lactoferrin (hLF) and human lysozyme (hLZ) have been known as non-adaptive but interactive antimicrobial members and could act in concert against bacteria, which contribute to host defense. Therefore, their expression in pigs might be an alternative strategy for replacing antibiotics in the pig production industry. In our study, we produced hLF and hLZ bi-transgenic pigs and assessed the milk's antibacterial ability. Integration of both transgenes was confirmed by PCR and southern blot. Both the hLF and hLZ were expressed in the mammary gland of bi-transgenic pigs, as detected by western blotting. The expression amounts were 6.5 g/L for hLF and 1.1 mg/L for hLZ using ELISA. Interestingly, pig milk containing hLF and hLZ had synergistic antimicrobial activity. Our results suggest an alternative approach for avoiding the use of antibiotics in the pig industry, which would be of great benefit to the commercial swine production.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Linlin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Qiuyan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yaofeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiaoxiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008892:Milk; D009113:Muramidase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D013552:Swine; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; C490098:LTF protein, human; D009113:Muramidase; D007781:Lactoferrin