2009 Univ of NE Swine Report- In Vivo and In Vitro Expression of Porcine Zinc

Preliminary experiments were carried out to evaluate in vivo expression of zinc transporter (ZnT) 1 mRNA in a panel of tissues obtained from weaned pigs and to evaluate in vitro changes in ZnT1 mRNA in a porcine jejunal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) treated with low (40 M) or high (80 M) concentrations of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) or, in a separate experiment, with low (50 g/ml) or high (100 g/mL) concentrations of antibiotics (as gentamicin; GENT). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 ng/mL) was included as a negative control in both experiments. Zinc transporter 1 mRNA was detected in all tissues evaluated with the greatest level of expression observed in the tonsil. A treatment time interaction was not observed for IPEC-J2 cells treated with ZnSO4; however, the addition of high ZnSO4 tended (P = 0.08) to increase ZnT1 mRNA expression when means were averaged among all time points. Exposure of IPEC-J2 cells to GENT resulted in a significant treatment time interaction (P < 0.005) with increases in ZnT1 mRNA observed at 3 (low GENT) and 6 (low and high GENT) hours post- treatment compared to CTL- or LPS- treated cells. This research indicates that ZnT1 mRNA is differentially expressed in vivo, in a panel of porcine tissues, and in vitro, in IPEC-J2 cells exposed to low or high concentrations of zinc or antibiotics.