EFFECTS OF SERINE PALMITOYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITION ON INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND MILK PRODUCTION IN DAIRY COWS

Our overall goalis to define the mechanisms that control insulin resistance in lactating dairy cows.To achieve this goal we have proposed two objectives.The first objective is todetermine whether ceramide mediates insulin resistance in early lactation Holstein cows. This will require the investigative team to utilize a pharmacological inhibitor of de novo ceramide synthesis and perform a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure in early lactation dairy cows experiencing negative energy balance.The second objective is to determine whether ceramide mediates the ability of somatotropin to spare glucose for milk production in mid-lactation cows. This will require the investigative team to utilize a pharmacological inhibitor of de novo ceramide synthesis and perform glucose and insulin tolerance procedures in mid-lactation dairy cows administrated recombinant bovine somatotropin.