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Tissue-specific differences in insulin receptor m-RNA isoform ratio in two dairy cow breeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

A.R.G. Wylie
Affiliation:
The Queen’s University of Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
D.J. Devlin
Affiliation:
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
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Extract

The insulin receptor (IR) is one participant in the partitioning of absorbed nutrients to, and between, the insulin-responsive tissues of animals. We previously reported the alternative splicing of a 36 base pair exon 11 segment of the sheep IR gene and found differences in the ratio of the resultant 11 m-RNA and 11+m-RNA isoforms between muscle and fat depots in crossbred, but not purebred, Texel lambs (McGrattan et al., 1998). Because the IR isoforms, when expressed in cultured cell lines, differ in affinity for insulin by two fold or more (McClain, 1991), variations in the ratio of IR isoform expression may have practical significance for the partitioning of nutrients between tissues and thus for differences in lean and fat gain between the purebred and crossbred lambs. Similarly, variation in IR m-RNA isoform ratios amongst the adipose depots in different breeds of dairy cow could have practical significance for differences in the ability of the breeds to store and mobilise energy and thus for differences in lactational performance between dairy breeds. This study is a preliminary investigation of this hypothesis.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2003

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References

McClain, D.A. (1991) Different ligand affinities of the two human insulin receptor splice variants are reflected in parallel changes in sensitivity for insulin action. Molecular Endocrinology 4: 734739.Google Scholar
McGrattan, P.D., Wylie, A.R.G. and Bjourson, A.J. (1998) A partial cDNA sequence of the ovine insulin receptor gene: evidence for alternative splicing of an exon 11 region and for tissue-specific regulation of receptor isoform expression in sheep muscle, adipose tissue and liver. Journal of Endocrinology, 159: 381387.Google Scholar