Expression of growth hormone gene in the baboon eye

The human growth hormone (GH) locus is comprised by two GH (GH1 and GH2) genes and three chorionic somatomanunoIropin (CSH1, CSH2 and CSH-L) genes. While GHI is expressed in the pituitary gland, the rest are expressed in the placenta. However, GH1 is also expressed in several extrapituitary tissues, including the eye. So to understand the role of this hormone in the eye we used the baboon (Papio hmnathyas), that like humans has a multigenic GH locus; we set up to investigate the expression and regulation of GH locus in adult and fetal baboon ocular tissues. We searched in baboon ocular tissues the expression of GH1, GH2, CSH1/2, Pitl (pituitary transcription factor 1), GHR (growth hormone receptor), GHRH (growth hormone releasing hormone), GHRHR (growth hormone releasing hormone receptor), SST (somatostatin), SSTRI (somatostatin receptor 1), SSTR2 (somatostatin receptor 2), SSTR3 (somatostatin receptor 3), SSTR4 (somatostatin receptor 4), and SSTR5 (somatostatin receptor 5) mRNA transcripts and derived proteins, by qPCR and immunofluorescence assays, respectively. The transcripts found were characterized by cDNA cloning and sequencing, having found only the one belonging to GHI gene, mainly in the retina/choroid tissues. Through immunofluorescence assays the presence of GH1 and GHR proteins was confirmed in several retinal cell layers. Among the possible neuroendocrine regulators that may control local GH1 expression are GHRH and SST, since their mRNA5 and proteins were found mainly in the retina/choroid tissues, as well as their corresponding receptors (GHRH and SSTR1-SSTR5). None of the ocular tissues express Pitl, so gene expression of GHI in baboon eye could be independent of Pitl. We conclude that to understand the regulation of GH in the human eye, the baboon offers a very good experimental model.