In vitro comparison of satellite cells isolated from normal and callipyge sheep exposed to growth promoting compounds

Abstract

Sheep producers are continually faced with the need to increase pounds of retail product sold. One way to increase total retail pounds of lamb available for consumption without increasing sheep numbers or producer costs is through genetic selection for increased size and growth. Another option would be to select sheep with the callipyge mutation or understand what the mutation changes to increase growth. Callipyge is a selective hypertrophic condition exhibited primarily in the hind limbs of affected lambs. The cause of the increased growth at a molecular level has not been thoroughly explored. Other studies have evaluated differences in satellite cells (SC) isolated from high and low growth line animals but none compared normal and callipyge sheep satellite cells using defined media. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of genotype (normal and callipyge), growth compound (estradiol benzoate, trenbolone acetate, IGF-I, and FGF) and level of growth compound (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 30, and 50 ng/μL) on proliferation of sheep satellite cells.