mTORC1 signaling-associated protein synthesis in porcine mammary glands was regulated by the local available methionine depending on methionine sources.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex1 (mTORC1) activation and protein synthesis varied with methionine sources; however, the related mechanisms are largely unknown. Porcine mammary epithelial cells (PMEC) and mammary tissue slices (MTS) were used to test whether methionine precursors differ in providing the available methionine and thus differ in mTORC1 signaling-associated protein synthesis. PMEC with methionine deprivation for 8 h and MTS from lactating sows were cultured for 24 and 2 h, respectively, with treatment media without methionine (negative control, NC) or supplemented with 0.6 mM (for PMEC) and 0.1 mM (for MTS) of L-methionine (L-MET), D-methionine (D-MET), DL-2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butyric acid (HMTBA), or keto-methyl(thio)butanoic acid (KMB). The measurements included: phosphorylation of mTORC1 signaling, fractional protein synthesis rate (FSR), amino acids (AA) profile, and enzyme activities. Compared with the NC treatment, activated mTORC1 signaling as manifested by higher (P < 0.05) protein abundance of phosphorylated-S6 Kinase 1 (P-S6K1) and phosphorylated-4E-binding Protein 1 (P-4E-BP1) in PMEC and MTS, and increased protein synthesis as indicated by higher (P < 0.05) FSR in MTS occurred in L-MET and HMTBA treatments rather than in D-MET treatment. Compared with the NC treatment, methionine concentration and ratio of methionine to lysine in MTS increased (P < 0.05) in L-MET and HMTBA treatments but not in D-MET treatment, and activities of enzymes responsible for conversion of D-MET and HMTBA to keto-methionine in mammary tissues were about 10 and 50%, respectively, of that in liver. Taken together, mTORC1 signaling-associated protein synthesis in porcine mammary glands was regulated by the local available methionine depending on methionine sources.