Production and Purification of Recombinant Somatolactin and its Effects on Insulin-like Growth Factors Gene Expression in Tilapia Hepatocytes

Somatolactin (SL), the member of the growth hormone (GH)/prolactin (PRL) family, is fish-specific pituitary hormone with diverse functions. However, little is known about its biological function in fish hepatocytes. Using tilapia as a model, SLtranscripts were shown to be widely expressed in various extrapituitary tissues with the relatively high expression level in liver. To explore the biological action of SL in hepatocytes, we produced and purified recombinant tilapia SL protein which could induce pigment aggregation in tilapia melanophores. Further, the antiserum for the SL was produced and its specificity was confirmed by antiserum preabsorption. During 4 week starvation, hepatic SL transcripts in starved fish were significantly higher than the control fish starting on the 1st week of starvation until 4th week. After re-feeding, the SL transcripts level returned to normal. Using primary cultures of tilapia hepatocytes, insulin-like growth factors (IGF1 and IGF2) gene expression were elevated by static incubation with recombinant tilapia SL. In contrast, removal endogenous SL by immunoneutralization using SL antiserum was shown to inhibit IGF1 and IGFgene expression. These findings, taken together, provide evidence for the first time that SL may serve as a novel regulator in fish stimulating IGF1 and IGF gene expression in hepatocytes.