Journal article
Selected imprinting of INS in the marsupial
JM Stringer, S Suzuki, AJ Pask, G Shaw, MB Renfree
Epigenetics and Chromatin | Published : 2012
Open access
Abstract
Background: In marsupials, growth and development of the young occur postnatally, regulated by milk that changes in composition throughout the long lactation. To initiate lactation in mammals, there is an absolute requirement for insulin (INS), a gene known to be imprinted in the placenta. We therefore examined whether INS is imprinted in the mammary gland of the marsupial tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) and compared its expression with that of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). Results: INS was expressed in the mammary gland and significantly increased, while IGF2 decreased, during established milk production. Insulin and IGF2 were both detected in the mammary gland macrophage cells dur..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Kangaroo Genomics; an ARC Federation Fellowship to MBR and a National Health and Medical Research Council R.D. Wright Fellowship to AJP. The authors thank Kerry Martin, Alison Bradfield and Scott Brownlees for assistance with the animals, Helen Clark and Bonnie Dopheide for technical assistance, and members of the Tammar Research Group for their help in collecting tissue. They also thank Dr David V Kaufman (Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Australia) for his advice on mammary gland histology and Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith for her helpful comments.