Authors : Gaoshui Yu, Wenlong Zhang, Yong Huang, Li Ding, Wei Li, Zhaocai Li, Dan Xu, Feng Dong, Qian Du and Dewen Tong
Abstract: Ghrelin, a gastric acylated peptide has been shown to express in gastrointestinal tract of many animals. However, little is known about its expression pattern in gastrointestinal tract of ruminants such as goat. In this study, researchers investigated the expression and distribution of ghrelin in the gastrointestinal tract of goat (Saanen dairy goat) including esophagus, rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, appendix, colon and rectum by PCR, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot. The PCR detection showed that ghrelin mRNA existed in all the above tissues and was significantly higher in the abomasus than in other tissues detected (p<0.05). Immunohistochemistry assay showed that ghrelin-positive cells were observed in the mucosal layer of all segments examined. The ghrelin-positive cells were most numerous in the abomasus, less abundant in the duodenum, occasional in jejunum, ileum, appendix, colon and rectum and rare in esophagus, rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasus. Western blot analysis confirmed the ghrelin protein expression pattern in the gastrointestinal tract of the goat. These results demonstrate that ghrelin is expressed in the gastrointestinal tract of Saanen dairy goat, especially in the abomasus.
Gaoshui Yu, Wenlong Zhang, Yong Huang, Li Ding, Wei Li, Zhaocai Li, Dan Xu, Feng Dong, Qian Du and Dewen Tong, 2012. Expression and Distribution Pattern of Ghrelin in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Saanen Dairy Goat. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 4585-4592.