LIVER, RENAL AND SUBCUTANEOUS HISTOPATHOLOGY IN PEPCK-BGH TRANSGENIC PIGS

Transgenic pigs were created that harboured a phospho enolpyruvate car boxykinase-bovine growth hormone construct (PEPCK-bGH). Four founder a nimals and two transgenic offspring from one line were evaluated betwe en 61/2 and 12 months of age. There was no evidence of severe hepatic or renal lesions in these pigs, which characterised transgenic PEPCK-b GH mice previously described. While glomerular and tubular lesions in kidney sections were not identified in the transgenic pigs, mesangial cell proliferation was observed in two transgenic offspring from a sin gle line. Additionally, glomerular size was significantly increased in four of four puberal transgenic swine when compared to age- and sex-m atched controls (28.30 +/- 4.1 vs. 14.2 +/- 2.7 X 10(5) mu m(3); repre senting 3 transgenic lines, p < 0.05). Surprisingly, no mature adipocy tes were observed in subcutaneous sections obtained in transgenic GH p igs. Histological evaluation of these transgenic pigs further illustra tes the requirement for precise control of growth-related genes and th eir protein products.