Expression of long form leptin receptor mRNA in pituitary of pigs around puberty.

[Objective] To study the expression of long form leptin receptor(Ob-Rb) mRNA in pituitary of pigs around puberty and explore the relationship between Ob-Rb mRNA and porcine development around pituitary. [Method] Three Sujiang pigs were randomly selected at the age of 120 d,puberty and 180 d,respectively. A pair of primers was designed according to the Ob-Rb sequence published in the GenBank. Total RNAs were extracted from pituitary. The expression of Ob-Rb mRNA was detected by the real-time quantitative RT-PCR. [Result] The Ob-Rb mRNA was detected in pituitaries of pigs at the age of 120 d,puberty and 180 d,respectively. The expression level of Ob-Rb mRNA was lowest at puberty. It was significantly different from that in the 120-day-old pigs and not significantly different from that in the 180-day-old pigs. [Conclusion] The low expression level of Ob-Rb mRNA is conductive to the arrival of puberty.