No abstract

Cattle production plays an important role in economic development and food security. Developed countries have achieved optimum levels of production through the implementation of technologies that have allowed efficient use of resources. In contrast, in the developing countries, despite their suitable means of production, such as large tracts of land dedicated to livestock, and programs of nutrition and health, farmers have not widely adopted reproductive and productive supplementation. Therefore, this chapter explores the main critical factors that limit the transfer of technology in bovine production systems, analyzing the interaction between the models, actors, and means of production.

Activation of the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) by synthetic GH releasing peptides (GHRP) or its endogenous ligand (Ghrelin) stimulates GH release. Though much is known about the signal transduction underlying short-term regulation, there is far less information on the mechanisms that produce long-term effects. In the current report, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for GH detection and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we assessed the long-term actions of such regulatory factors on voltage-activated Ca2+ currents in bovine somatotropes (BS) separated on a Percoll gradient and detected by immunohistochemistry. After 24 h of treatment with Ghrelin (10 nM) or GHRP-6 (100 nM) enhanced BS secretory activity; GH secretion stimulated by GHS through the activation of GHS-R because treatment with the antagonist of GHS-R (D-Lys3-GHRP-6, 10 μM) blocked the GH secretion, and the effect was dose and time dependent (24, 48, and 72 h). GH secretion stimulated by GHRP-6 was abolished by nifedipine (0.5 μM), a blocker of L-type HVA Ca2+ channels, and KN-62 (10 μM), an inhibitor of Ca2+/CaM-KII. After 72 h in culture, all recorded BS exhibited two main Ca2+ currents: a low voltage-activated (LVA; T-type) and a high voltage-activated (HVA; mostly dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type) current. Interestingly, HVA and LVA channels were differentially upregulated by Ghrelin. Chronic treatment with the GHS induced a significant selective increase on the Ba2+ current through HVA Ca2+ channels, and caused only a small increase of currents through LVA channels. The stimulatory effect on HVA current density was accompanied by an augment in maximal conductance with no apparent changes in the kinetics and the voltage dependence of the Ca2+ currents, suggesting an increase in the number of functional channels in the cell membrane. Lastly, in consistency with the functional data, quantitative real-time RT-PCR revealed transcripts encoding for the Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 pore-forming subunits of L-type channels. The treatment with Ghrelin significantly increased the Cav1.3 subunit expression, suggeting that the chronic stimulation of the GHS receptor with Ghrelin or GHRP-6 increases the number of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels at the cell surface of BS.

Ghrelin is a growth hormone (GH) secretagogue (GHS) and GHRP-6 is a synthetic peptide analogue; both act through the GHS receptor. GH secretion depends directly on the intracellular concentration of Ca2+; this is determined from the intracellular reserves and by the entrance of Ca2+ through the voltage-dependent calcium channels, which are activated by the membrane depolarization. Membrane potential is mainly determined by K+ channels. In the present work, we investigated the effect of ghrelin (10 nM) or GHRP-6 (100 nM) for 96 h on functional expression of voltage-dependent K+ channels in rat somatotropes: GC cell line. Physiological patch-clamp whole-cell recording was used to register the K+ currents. With Cd2+ (1 mM) and tetrodotoxin (1 μm) in the bath solution recording, three types of currents were characterized on the basis of their biophysical and pharmacological properties. GC cells showed a K+ current with a transitory component (I A) sensitive to 4-aminopyridine, which represents ~40% of the total outgoing current; a sustained component named delayed rectifier (I K), sensitive to tetraethylammonium; and a third type of K+ current was recorded at potentials more negative than −80 mV, permitting the entrance of K+ named inward rectifier (KIR). Chronic treatment with ghrelin or GHRP-6 did not modify the functional expression of K+ channels, without significant changes (P < 0.05) in the amplitudes of the three currents observed; in addition, there were no modifications in their biophysical properties and kinetic activation or inactivation.