Creation and phenotypic analysis of alpha-lactalbumin-deficient mice
1994
Stinnakre, M.G. | Vilotte, J.L. | Soulier, S. | Mercier, J.C.
alpha-Lactalbumin is an abundant milk-specific calcium metalloprotein which has an evolutionary relationship to lysozyme. It modifies the substrate specificity of a Golgi galactosyltransferase by forming the lactose synthetase binary complex. Lactose, together with other sugars anad diffusible ions,is responsible for the osmotic pressure of milk. To assess the involvement of alpha-lactalbumin in lactogenesis, alpha-lactalbumin-deficient mice were created by disrupting the gene by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. Homozygous mutant mice are viable and fertile but females cannot feed their offspring. They produce a highly viscous milk that pups appear to be unable to remove from the mammary gland. This milk is rich in fat and protein and is devoid of alpha-lactalbumin and lactose. The phenotype of heterozygous mice was found to be intermediate, with a 40% decrease in alpha-latalbumin but only a 10-20% decrease in the lactose content of their milk compared with wild-type animals. These results emphasize the key function of alpha-lactalbumin in lactogenesis and open new opportunities to manipulate milk composition.
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