The Effects of Insulin and Prolactin on an Epithelial Cell Line from Mammary Gland of Dairy Goat

Mammary epithelial cells with lactational function can be a valuable cellular model for research of the development and regulation of the mammary gland.This paper describes some aspects of function of an epithelial cell line from the mammary gland of the dairy goat.SDS-PAGE,triglyceride and lactose content of cultured cells were used to assess synthetic function of cells and the effects of exposure to insulin and prolactin.Results show that goat mammary epithelial cells can synthesize fat,proteins and lactose when they were cultured in DMEM-F12 medium with added EGF,IGF-1,ITS and FBS.There were no obvious changes after 48h treatment with additional insulin.Prolactin added to the basal medium significantly increased synthesis of proteins and lactose.A mammary gland epithelial cell line from goats which has lactational function has been established.This outcome provides a valuable and convenient model system.