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Virginia Tech

Regulatory factors of milk fat synthesis in dairy cows

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The objective of these studies was to investigate the milk fat synthesis regulation by transcription factors. In the first study, bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells were treated with sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) specific siRNA. The mRNA and protein expression of SREBP-1 were decreased by more than 90% by siRNA. Fatty acid (FA) synthesis, uptake, and selected lipogenic enzyme expression were reduced in cells treated with SREBP-1 siRNA. Therefore, SREBP-1 plays an important role in integrated regulation of lipid synthesis in MAC-T cells through regulation of key enzymes. In the second study, MAC-T cells treated with hormones or FA were transfected with luciferase reporter constructs containing response elements for SREBP-1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), or liver X receptor (LXR). The activation of PPARγ and SREBP-1 were stimulated by insulin and insulin combined with leptin, respectively. Trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibited SREBP-1 activation, and this inhibition was not attenuated by insulin and leptin. Neither trans-10 nor cis-12 double bond inhibited SREBP-1 activation. Taken together, trans-10 and cis-12 double bonds need to be conjugated in CLA to reduce SREBP-1 activation and this inhibition cannot be overcome by insulin and leptin combination in MAC-T cells. In the third study, lactating dairy cows were intravenously infused with 0.625 g/h trans-10, cis-12 CLA for 14 h. We confirmed the appearance of trans-10, cis-12 CLA in the milk of CLA treated cows. Milk and component yield were not affected by the CLA treatment. The desaturation of stearic acid was reduced by CLA. The mRNA and protein expression of transcription factors or lipogenic enzymes were not affected by trans-10, cis-12 CLA. DNA-binding activities for PPARγ and LXR and the activation of SREBP-1 to its mature form were not changed by the treatment. The infusion time in this study was probably too short to induce any changes in transcription factors and lipogenic enzymes. We confirmed DNA-binding activities of PPARγ and LXR in bovine mammary gland. Overall, a prominent role for SREBP-1 in mammary epithelial cell lipid synthetic pathways was described and regulation of transcription factor activation by trans-10, cis-12 CLA was specific to SREBP-1.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Dairy Science
Department dc:contributor.department
Dairy Science
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2012

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Ma, Liying
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Corl, Benjamin A.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Akers, Robert Michael
  • Jiang, Honglin
  • Wong, Eric A.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-09272012-123131
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/29120

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Ma, Liying. Regulatory factors of milk fat synthesis in dairy cows. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/29120