B. Bao et al., Isolation and characterization of mammary cDNA differentially expressed inlethal milk mutation mice, J TR EL EXP, 14(4), 2001, pp. 371-382
Citations number
59
Categorie Soggetti
Endocrinology, Nutrition & Metabolism
Journal title
JOURNAL OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
Lethal milk (lm) mutation in C57BL/6J inbred mice results in the reduction
of zinc content in the milk and causes fatal neonatal zinc deficiency. Zinc
injection to lm pups after birth help, them to overcome severe neonatal zi
nc deficiency and to maintain the normal body growth of lm pups. Thus, lm m
utation displays a specific effect on the zinc content of the milk during l
actation. The decrease in zinc content of them milk is not due to the low b
ody zinc status in lactating lm dams. Also, oral zinc supplementation in la
ctating lm dams does not correct the low concentration of zinc in the milk.
These findings suggest that lm mutation results in the defective cellular
transport of zinc. The defective zinc transport might alter the expression
of mammary genes because cellular zinc plays a critical role in diverse cel
lular functions. To investigate the effect of lm mutation on the expression
of mammary genes, the differentially expressed cDNAs in lm mammary gland (
MG) were explored using the mRNA differential display (DD) gel. One of the
isolated cDNAs (M3) was expressed in the lm MG two times greater than that
in the normal MG. The cloned partial M3 cDNA was shown to have the similari
ties to the unknown functional cDNAs in the yeast and human tissues. The M3
cDNA might have a common function in both lower and higher eukaryotes. The
M3 mRNA is rich in the brain and the MG, but not in the liver and kidney.
Hence, the M3 cDNA may have a certain function associated with the brain an
d the MG. More information regarding the cloned M3 cDNA might be provided b
y screening of the full length of M3 cDNA from cDNA library. J. Trace Elem.
Exp. Med. 14:371-382, 2001. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss. Inc.