Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein of the transferrin family, first isolated from milk but also found in most exocrine secretions as well as in the secondary granules of neutrophils. The many reports on its antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activity in vitro identify lactoferrin as important in host defense against infection and excessive inflammation. Most if not all lactoferrin actions are mediated through iron sequestration and/or interaction with a large variety of ligands including microbial cell wall components and cellular receptors, through its highly positively charged N-terminus. Lactoferrin exerts its effects on glandular epithelia, secretions, mucosal surfaces as well as in the interstitium and vascular compartments where it has been postulated to participate in iron metabolism, disease defense, and modulation of inflammatory and immune responses. A need to understand the diverse biological actions of lactoferrin and the prospect of a wide variety of potential applications in human health care have stimulated studies of the relation between lactoferrin structure and function, the regulation of lactoferrin secretion and development of large scale production of recombinant human lactoferrin (hLf). This review provides a synthesis of our current understanding of lactoferrin. Space limitations have led us to refer to review articles whenever possible; the reader is advised to use these articles for access to the primary experimental literature.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) produced by the mammary gland has been postulated to have multiple functions in both the mother and neonate. In humans, alternative 3 -mRNA splicing and endoproteolytic processing result in multiple bioactive PTHrP peptides. Multiple PTHrP peptides also have been reported in bovine milk. To investigate the source of molecular heterogeneity of PTHrP in bovine milk, bovine PTHrP was cloned from a bovine brain cDNA library, sequenced and used to characterize the mammary PTHrP transcript. A 1065 bp clone (bP1) for bovine PTHrP was isolated from a brain cDNA library. The bP1 clone contained the entire coding sequence of PTHrP and 61 and 473 nucleotides of the 5 -and 3 -untranslated regions (UTRs) respectively. The predicted amino acid sequence of bovine PTHrP was 72-92% homologous to the sequences of chicken, rat, mouse, human, and canine PTHrP with the highest sequence divergence present in the C-terminal region of the peptide. The 5 -and 3 -UTRs of bovine brain PTHrP have a high degree of homology to exons 4 and 9 of human PTHrP respectively. PTHrP was expressed as a single 1200 nucleotide mRNA transcript in lactating bovine mammary tissue. RT-PCR using region-specific oligonucleotide primers derived from bP1 demonstrated that PTHrP mRNA transcripts in bovine brain and lactating mammary gland utilize the same 5 -and 3 -UTRs. Expression of PTHrP mRNA was localized to secretory and ductular epithelial cells within the lactating mammary gland, as detected using in situ hybridization. Expression of PTHrP mRNA was demonstrated in the mammary gland during late pregnancy and throughout lactation in cows.

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Our previous studies showed that polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) induced hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 in dairy cattle but did not elevate hepatic cytosolic ornithine decarboxylase or serum isocitrate dehydrogenase. These enzymes would be expected to increase during hepatotoxic injury and regeneration. Thus, PBB appeared to be a hepatotoxin in rats but not in cattle. In order to identify and confirm the response capability of bovine liver to hepatotoxins, we administered thioacetamide, a hepatotoxin known to induce hepatonecrosis, to a dairy calf. A progression of clinical signs of toxicosis was evident until the animal was moribund by 23 hr postdosing. Histolopathologic alterations in the liver included centrilobular necrosis with congestion and subcapsular microhemmorrhage. Marked changes in serum protein profiles were not noted. However, distinct increases in serum Fe and bilirubin occurred with progressing toxicosis, as did sharp declines in glucose and triglycerides. Serum lactic dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and glutamic-pyruvate transaminase were elevated. Elevation of ornithine decarboxylase was dramatic when compared to the level in normal fetal bovine liver. From studies of its kinetic properties, bovine liver ornithine decarboxylase appears to have an apparent Km for ornithine decarboxylase of .45 mM. Liver homogenates from PBB-treated animals did not form inhibitors to ornithine decarboxylase. Compared with the thioacetamide-treated calf, the normal adult bovine, pregnant adult and 6-month fetus had relative activities of .2 .4 and 5.8%, respectively. These studies show that ornithine decarboxylase is low in liver of normal cattle, but is elevated markedly by agents that cause hepatonecrosis.