Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is one of the predominant growth factors present in milk. The concentration, molecular mass forms and stability of TGF-β in bovine milk were investigated using a standard bioassay measuring the growth inhibition of a mink lung epithelial cell line. Most of the TGF-β bioactivity in milk was found to be in a latent form, which was also retained in the whey fraction. After acid activation, the total TGF-β concentration was 4·3 ± 0·8 ng and 3·7 ± 0·7 ng TGF-β per ml of milk and cheese whey respectively. Cation-exchange chromatography at pH 6·5 was used to concentrate latent whey-derived TGF-β, which could be activated by transient exposure to extremes of pH, urea or heat. Heparin did not significantly activate milk-derived TGF-β. Neutral gel filtration of the cationic whey fraction revealed a major peak of latent TGF-β with a molecular mass of 80 kDa and a smaller peak at 600 kDa. Transient acidification of the cationic whey fraction prior to neutral gel filtration, or gel filtration under acidic conditions, released low molecular mass TGF-β from both high molecular mass peaks. Whey-derived TGF-β was purified using a five-step chromatographic procedure. An N-terminal sequence was obtained for TGF-β2, which accounted for over 85% of the TGF-β bioactivity in whey. All TGF-β activity in whey could be neutralised by a monoclonal antibody directed against TGF-β1, -β2 and -β3. The results suggest that the majority of TGF-β in bovine milk is present in a small latent complex.
Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 151, 77–86
Journal of Endocrinology is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
| Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Text Views | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Downloads | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Online ISSN: 1479-6805
Print ISSN: 0022-0795
Strengthening biomedical communities
to advance science and health
CONTACT US
Bioscientifica Ltd | Starling House | 1600 Bristol Parkway North | Bristol BS34 8YU | UK
Bioscientifica Ltd | Registered in England no 3190519
