Physiological Roles of Adipokines, Hepatokines, and Myokines in Ruminants

Since the discovery of leptin secreted from adipocytes, specialized tissues and cells have been found that secrete the several peptides (or cytokines) that are characterized to negatively and positively regulate the metabolic process. Different types of adipokines, hepatokines, and myokines, which act as cytokines, are secreted from adipose, liver, and muscle tissue, respectively, and have been identified and examined for their physiological roles in humans and disease in animal models. Recently, various studies of these cytokines have been conducted in ruminants, including dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, and goat. Interestingly, a few cytokines from these tissues in ruminants play an important role in the post-parturition, lactation, and fattening (marbling) periods. Thus, understanding these hormones is important for improving nutritional management in dairy cows and beef cattle. However, to our knowledge, there have been no reviews of the characteristics of these cytokines in beef and dairy products in ruminants. In particular, lipid and glucose metabolism in adipose tissue, liver tissue, and muscle tissue are very important for energy storage, production, and synthesis, which are regulated by these cytokines in ruminant production. In this review, we summarize the physiological roles of adipokines, hepatokines, and myokines in ruminants. This discussion provides a foundation for understanding the role of cytokines in animal production of ruminants

Influences of protein ingestion on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-immunoreactive endocrine cells in the chicken ileum

Influences of a specific dietary nutrient on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-containing cells in the chicken intestine are not yet clear. Significance of dietary protein level on GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken ileum was investigated. Chickens fed control or experimental diets of varying protein levels were examined using immunohistochemical and morphometrical techniques. We show that the protein ingestion had an impact on the activities of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells in the chicken ileum. Weight gains declined with decreasing dietary crude protein (CP) levels, but no significant differences were detected in the daily feed intake and villous height. GLP-1-immunoreactive cells with a round or oval shape were frequently observed in the lower CP level groups (4.5% and 0%). Frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells were 41.1 +/- 4.1, 38.5 +/- 4, 34.8 +/- 3.1 and 34.3 +/- 3.7 (cells/mm(2), mean +/- SD) for dietary CP level of 18%, 9%, 4.5% and 0% groups, respectively and significant differences were recognized between the control and lower CP level groups (P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between the daily protein intake and frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells. The protein ingestion is one of the signals that influence GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken small intestine.ArticleANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL. 85(5):581-587 (2014)journal articl

Effects of Growth Hormone Gene Polymorphism on Lipogenic Gene Expression Levels in Diaphragm Tissues of Japanese Black Heifers

Two SNPs, i.e. L127V and T172M, of bovine growth hormone (GH) causing the presence of GH gene haplotypes A, B, and C was previously shown to alter intramuscular fatty acid (FA) composition in Japanese Black (JB) heifers. To determine the SNP effect on somatotropic hormone concentration and lipogenesis, we measured plasma GH, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations. We also measured mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase (FASN), stearoyl-coA desaturase (SCD), and sterol regulatory element binding proteins-1 (SREBP-1) and FA composition in diaphragm tissues. Heifers with genotype CC had the lowest plasma insulin concentration and FASN and SCD mRNA levels among genotypes. FASN mRNA levels in haplotype A tended to positively correlate with saturated FA (SFA) content and negatively correlated with C18:2 and unsaturated FA (USFA) contents. SCD mRNA levels in haplotype A positively correlated with monounsaturated FA (MUFA) contents and negatively correlated with C18:0 content. They also tended to positively correlate with C16:1, C18:1, and USFA contents and USFA/SFA ratio and negatively correlate with SFA content. Taken together, GH gene polymorphism affects the lipogenic genes expression levels and their relationships with fatty acid compositions in diaphragm tissues of JB heifers at 31 months of age

Clinicopathologic Features of Metachronous or Synchronous Gastric Cancer Patients with Three or More Primary Sites

PURPOSE: We investigated the clinicopathologic information of patients with gastric cancer with multiple primary cancers (GC-MPC) of three or more sites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1995 and 2009, 105,908 patients were diagnosed with malignancy at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University Health System. Of these, 113 (0.1%) patients with MPC of three or more sites were registered, and 41 (36.3%) of these were GC-MPC. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data and overall survival using the medical records of these 41 GC-MPC patients. We defined synchronous cancers as those occurring within 6 months of the first primary cancer, while metachronous cancers were defined as those occurring more than 6 months later. RESULTS: Patients with metachronous GC-MPC were more likely to be female (p=0.003) and young than patients with synchronous GC-MPC (p=0.013). The most common cancer sites for metachronous GC-MPC patients were the colorectum, thyroid, lung, kidney and breast, while those for synchronous GC-MPC were the head and neck, esophagus, lung, and kidney. Metachronous GC-MPC demonstrated significantly better overall survival than synchronous GC-MPC, with median overall survival durations of 4.7 and 14.8 years, respectively, and 10-year overall survival rates of 48.2% and 80.7%, respectively (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Multiplicity of primary malignancies itself does not seem to indicate a poor prognosis. The early detection of additional primary malignancies will enable proper management with curative intentope

Influences of protein ingestion on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-immunoreactive endocrine cells in the chicken ileum

Influences of a specific dietary nutrient on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-containing cells in the chicken intestine are not yet clear. Significance of dietary protein level on GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken ileum was investigated. Chickens fed control or experimental diets of varying protein levels were examined using immunohistochemical and morphometrical techniques. We show that the protein ingestion had an impact on the activities of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells in the chicken ileum. Weight gains declined with decreasing dietary crude protein (CP) levels, but no significant differences were detected in the daily feed intake and villous height. GLP-1-immunoreactive cells with a round or oval shape were frequently observed in the lower CP level groups (4.5% and 0%). Frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells were 41.1 +/- 4.1, 38.5 +/- 4, 34.8 +/- 3.1 and 34.3 +/- 3.7 (cells/mm(2), mean +/- SD) for dietary CP level of 18%, 9%, 4.5% and 0% groups, respectively and significant differences were recognized between the control and lower CP level groups (P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between the daily protein intake and frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells. The protein ingestion is one of the signals that influence GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken small intestine

Differential regulation of GHRH-receptor and GHS-receptor expression by long-term in vitro treatment of ovine pituitary cells with GHRP-2 and GHRH

Abstract GH secretion is regulated by GHRH and somatostatin via actions on their specific receptors in pituitary somatotropes. Ghrelin and synthetic analogs, GHRPs, also stimulate GH release via GHS-receptors (GHS-R). To examine the long-term effect of GHRH and/or GHRP on somatotropes, primary cultured ovine somatotropes were treated with GHRH (10−9 and 10−8 M) and GHRP-2 (10−8 and 10−7 M) for up to 2 d. After treatment, culture medium was collected for GH assay, and total RNA was extracted for RT-PCR analysis. To evaluate cell cultures used in this report, somatotrope-enriched pituitary cells were challenged by 6 h GHRH and dexamethasone (DEX) treatment. As expected, GHRH significantly decreased, whereas DEX increased, the levels of GHRH-R mRNA. Combined low doses of GHRH (10−9 M) and GHRP-2 (10−8 M) treatment for 24 h increased accumulated GH secretion, significantly more than that induced by high doses of GHRH (10−8 M) and GHRP-2 (10−7 M). While levels of GHRH-R mRNA increased, GHS-R mRNA levels were decreased by low doses of GHRH and GHRP-2 for 24 h. High doses of GHRH and/or GHRP-2 for 2 d did not increase GH secretion in the second day of treatment and reduced the level of GHRH-R mRNA. High doses of GHRP-2 treatment decreased the levels of both GHRH-R and GHS-R mRNA. Low doses of GHRH and/or GHRP-2 for 2 d increased the level of GHS-R mRNA without changing GHRH-R mRNA levels. Such treatment also increased ghrelin- (10−9 M) or ghrelin/GHRH (10−9 M)-induced GH secretion. These results suggest that low doses of GHRP-2 and GHRH prime somatotropes for stimulation by GHRH and ghrelin