J. E. Taylor

Purification and properties of chicken growth hormone and the development of a homologous radioimmunoassay

Highly purified growth hormone (GH) has been isolated from pituitary glands of chicken (Gallus domesticus), and a specific homologous radioimmunoassay (RIA) has also been developed. The purified chicken GH was active in the rat tibia bioassay and it gave a dose-dependent response which paralleled that of the bovine GH standard. High pressure liquid chromatography revealed that the purified chicken GH was homogenous. Chicken GH had an Rf value of 0.2 in disc electrophoresis, and a MW of 26,000 from sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. The isoelectric point was estimated to be 7.6 by gel isoelectric focusing. The amino acid composition of chicken GH was found to be similar to that of mammalian GH, and the NH2-terminal amino acid was threonine. Partial sequencing (114 amino acids) of the chicken GH showed 79% homology with bovine GH. An antiserum was developed to the purified chicken GH in a rabbit, and it was used to develop a homologous RIA using 125I-labeled chicken GH as the ligand. The purified chicken GH was iodinated via the lactoperoxidase method to a specific activity of approximately 100 microCi/micrograms. Plasma from chickens, medium from incubation of pituitary glands, and homogenates of pituitary glands gave parallel dilution-response curves with the chicken GH standard. Mammalian GH, prolactin (PRL), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) showed no cross-reaction with the 125I-labeled chicken GH. Purified turkey GH showed parallel dose response with the chicken GH, but purified turkey PRL did not cross-react. Chicken FSH and LH also showed no inhibition of binding. The minimum detectable concentration of the assay was 0.93 ng/tube, and the intraassay and interassay coefficients of variation were 9 and 16%, respectively. The specific binding of 125I-labeled chicken GH to a microsomal fraction isolated from chicken liver was identified, and the specific binding was generally low (1-4%). Turkey PRL, and chicken LH and FSH showed no inhibition of the 125I-labeled chicken GH hepatic binding and the ontogeny of the hepatic GH receptor binding sites in male and female chickens was examined.

Effects of dietary thyroid hormones on growth, plasma T3 and T4, and growth hormone in normal and hypothyroid chickens

Cockerels and pullets fed with T3 or T4 for 2 weeks showed a decrease in both body weight gain and feed efficiency. The reduction in body weight gain and feed efficiency was dose related in cockerels where T3 or T4 were fed at 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 ppm levels. T3 and T4 at 0.1 and 1.0 ppm had no significant effects on growth or feed efficiency in pullets, but the 10.0-ppm level of T3 and T4 caused a reduction of -55.24 and -28.18%, respectively, in body weight gain as compared with control birds. T3 was more active than T4 in reducing growth and was toxic when fed at 10.0 ppm both in cockerels and pullets. Both propylthiouracil (PTU)- and methimazole-treated cockerels showed a decrease in rates of gain. T3 and T4 at a dietary level of 0.1 ppm were equipotent in promoting growth in these PTU- and methimazole-treated cockerels, but 10.0 ppm caused a further reduction in body weight gain. Plasma T3 levels were found to be significantly higher in birds that were fed either T3 or T4. Plasma T4 levels were higher in T4-fed birds, but significantly lower in T3-fed birds as compared with controls. Both PTU- and methimazole-treated cockerels had significantly lower plasma T3 and T4 concentrations, but elevated plasma GH concentrations. Dietary T3 and T4 at 1.0 and 10.0 ppm significantly lowered plasma GH concentrations. In summary, these results indicated that T3 was more active than T4 in reducing body weight gain in intact normal birds, but that they were equally potent in promoting growth in PTU- and methimazole-treated hypothyroid birds.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of Dietary Thyroid Hormones on Growth and Serum T3, T4, and Growth Hormone in Sex-Linked Dwarf Chickens

Abstract Dwarf pullets fed with either T3 or T4 at 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 ppm for 2 weeks showed no improvement in their body weight gain as compared with birds that were fed a control diet. Birds fed T3 or T4 at 10.0 ppm showed poorer growth, body weight gain, and feed efficiency than control birds. Pullets fed 1.0 ppm of T3 showed significantly better feed efficiency than control birds. Serum T3 concentrations were significantly higher when birds were fed 1.0 ppm of T3 or 10.0 ppm of T3 or T4. Plasma T4 concentrations were also higher in T4 fed birds (1.0 ppm and 10.0 ppm), but were significantly lower in T3 fed birds (1.0 ppm and 10.0 ppm) than in control birds. In birds fed T3 or T4 at 1.0-ppm and 10.0-ppm levels serum growth hormone concentrations were significantly lower as compared with control birds. In conclusion, exogenous T3 and T4 did not correct the sex-linked dwarfism of dwarf chickens. Such dwarfism is characterized by low circulating levels of T3 and T4.

The antifertility and antiadrenergic actions of thiocarbamate fungicides in laying hens

The effects of the thiocarbamate fungicides, thiram, ziram, ferbam, maneb, and zineb, on norepinephrine synthesis by laying hens were investigated. Inhibition experiments with dopamine beta-hydroxylase purified from chicken adrenals indicated that thiram, ziram, and ferbam are potent competitive inhibitors with the substrate the substrate ascorbate. Maneb and zineb were without effect at comparable concentrations. Experiments investigating the interaction of thiram, ziram, and ferbam with cupric ions suggested that these compounds probably inhibit the enzyme by complexing the fully oxidized copper at its active site. Maneb and zineb also complexed cupric ions in solution and thus their failure to inhibit is not due to their inability to complex copper. When tested in vivo, thiram, ziram, and ferbam at po doses of 2.5 mg/kg or greater significantly reduced the conversion of radioactive dopa, given systemically, to brain norepinephrine. Since they did not affect the uptake of radioactive dopa by the brain or its subsequent decarboxylation within the brain to yield dopamine, these three compounds inhibit cerebral dopamine beta-hydroxylase in vivo. In contrast maneb and zineb at a po dose of 20 mg/kg had no significant effect on brain norepinephrine synthesis. Previously published results (Weppelman et al., Biol. Reprod. 23, 40-46, 1980) demonstrated that thiram, ziram, and ferbam (but not maneb or zineb) have antifertility action in laying hens. The correlation between this action and inhibition of dopamine beta-hydroxylase suggests that the antifertility effects of thiram, ziram, and ferbam might result from their antiadrenergic action. The observation that all doses of thiram in the diet which caused significant antigonadal action when fed to laying hens for 1 week also significantly decreased central and peripheral stores of norepinephrine supports this conclusion.

Interaction of Human Pancreatic Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor, Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone, and Somatostatin on Growth Hormone Release in Chickens

Abstract The effects of synthetic somatostatin (SRIF) on serum growth hormone (GH) concentrations stimulated by exogenous administration of synthetic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and/or human pancreatic GH-releasing factor (hpGRF) were investigated in 4-week-old cockerels. In addition, the additive effects of TRH and hpGRF on serum GH were examined. TRH and hpGRF, when given in combination intravenously, produced an additive effect on serum GH concentration that peaked 10 min after the injection. The somatostatin did not significantly affect basal GH concentrations when given alone, but did significantly decrease the magnitude of the GH response to hpGRF. In contrast, SRIF did not significantly decrease the stimulatory effects of TRH on GH release. These results suggest that TRH and hpGRF are potent GH releasers in vivo and that their stimulating effects on GH release are additive, suggesting different mechanisms for their stimulation. The results obtained from the combination studies suggest that the main site of the stimulatory action of hpGRF is at the pituitary, and that SRIF significantly inhibited the rise in serum GH induced by a synthetic hpGRF, but not that induced by TRH.