Morphological and quantitative studies of gland formation from inocula of monodispersed rat mammary cells

A method is presented for the preparation and quantitative transplantation of enzymatically monodispersed rat mammary gland cells. When injected into the interscapular white fat pads of hormonally primed recipient rats, such cells give rise to organized mammary structures. The early stages in formation and differentiation of these mammary gland structures were studied with light microscopy, autoradiography and electron microscopy. Under appropriate hormonal stimulation, hollow ‘alveolar spheres’ of secretory mammary epithelium develop, ducts outgrow from them, and with time an arborized glandular structure which displays the cell types and morphology of a normal mammary gland is formed. The applications of this technique to quantitative study of mammary cell survival, differentiation and neoplasia are discussed.     

Role of ovarian secretions in mammary gland development and function in ruminants

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ that undergoes cyclic developmental and regressive changes during the lifetime of a female mammal. Mammogenesis begins during embryonic life with the development of the first mammary gland rudiments and ductal system. After birth, during the pre-pubertal period, the ductal growth of the mammary parenchyma occurs through the fat pad. In most of the ruminant species allometric mammary parenchyma development begins with the onset of cyclic ovarian secretions activity. The two main hormones secreted during an ovarian cycle are estradiol and progesterone. These steroid hormones are derived from cholesterol and are synthesized by theca and granulosa cells in ovaries. During puberty, the mammary parenchyma develops in a compact, highly arborescent parenchymal mass surrounded by a dense connective matrix. Ductal elongation and lobulo-alveolar development are accomplished during growth and pregnancy to prepare for future milk production. At the end of lactation, the mammary gland undergoes involution, which corresponds to a regression of the secretory tissue, a reduction in the alveolar size and a loss of mammary epithelial cells (MECs). Ovarian steroids (estradiol and progesterone) appear to be key regulators of the different stages of mammogenesis and mammary function. Through this review, the role and the importance of ovarian steroids on mammary gland and on MECs is described.     

Variable duration of DNA synthesis in mammary gland cells during pregnancy and lactation of C3H/He mouse

Labeling index as well as the duration of DNA synthesis in alveolar cells of C3H mouse mammary gland at various stages of development was determined by autoradiographic methods. Labeling index of the alveolar cells is highest during pregnancy followed by a marked decrease in the lactating gland. The labeling index of the prelactating cells is significantly reduced after the same cells are transplanted into virgin females. Duration of DNA synthesis in the alveolar cells at eighth and fifteenth day of pregnancy is 14.1 and 8.2 hours respectively. During early lactogenesis, duration of DNA synthesis in the mammary alveolar cells was estimated as 8.5 hours. There is a 2–3 fold increase of the DNA replication time (21.5 hours) in the outgrowth cells of 15 day prelactating tissue after transplantation into virgin host. A possible role of the hormones of pregnancy, estrogens and progesterone for stimulation of DNA synthesis in the prelactating tissue has been discussed. It has been suggested that the marked inhibition of DNA synthesis in the lactating tissue may be due to the increased stimulation of the same tissue by endogenous adrenocorticoid hormones. Variability of the duration of DNA synthesis (8.5–21.5 hours) in alveolar cells indicates that in mouse mammary gland, DNA synthetic time is not an unadjustable process. Control of DNA synthesis in mouse mammary gland cells by exogenous 17-_β-estradiol and progesterone has been previously reported (Bresciani, '65). It is suggested that the same hormones of endogenous origin also may influence the duration of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation during mammogenesis.     

Use of peanut lectin and rat mammary stem cell lines to identify a cellular differentiation pathway for the alveolar cell in the rat mammary gland.

The presence of the carbohydrate receptor for PNL has been used to identify the previously described morphological types of epithelial cell produced as the stem cell line rat mammary 25 (Rama 25) differentiates to casein secretory alveolar-like cells in vitro. Thus when cultures of the epithelial stem cell line Rama 25 are treated with neuraminidase, fluorescently-conjugated PNL fails to stain cuboidal cells, stains weakly grey cells, and stains strongly the surface of dark cells. When superconfluent cultures of Rama 25 are treated with dimethyl sulfoxide or retinoic acid and prolactin, estradiol, hydrocortisone, and insulin to induce differentiation to alveolar cells, PNL stains strongly the untreated surfaces of droplet cells and casein-secreting vacuolated cells. PNL-staining of the derivative cell lines with truncated cellular pathways, and quantitative binding of [125I]-labeled PNL to the cultured cells are consistent with this cellular staining pattern. The presence of the carbohydrate receptor for peanut lectin (PNL) has also been used to identify specific epithelial cell types in different mammary structures of the developing rat mammary gland, as they differentiate to casein secretory alveolar cells in vivo. Thus when different structures of the developing rat mammary gland are treated with neuraminidase, peroxidase-conjugated PNL fails to stain histochemically the majority of epithelial cells in ducts, stains the cytoplasm of the majority of epithelial cells in terminal end-buds (TEBs), and stains strongly the luminal surfaces of the majority of epithelial cells in alveolar buds (ABs). PNL also stains the untreated luminal surfaces of alveolar cells, whether or not the cells can be stained with a monoclonal antibody to rat beta-casein. Stimulation of mammary differentiation by an analogue of ethyl retinoate or by perphenazine causes cells in end-buds to bind PNL without the necessity for their desialylation similar to that seen in casein secretory alveoli of lactating rats. In conclusion the different interconverting cell types of Rama 25 which form a pathway to casein-secretory cells in vitro are thus equated with recognisable epithelial cell types in vivo. These results suggest that casein-secretory cells in vivo are generated by similar successive interconversions between the major epithelial cell types present in the different mammary structures in the order: ducts, TEBs, ABs, alveoli, and secretory alveoli.     

Profile of estrogen‐responsive genes in an estrogen‐specific mammary gland outgrowth model

Both ovarian and pituitary hormones are required for the pubertal development of the mouse mammary gland. Estradiol directs ductal elongation and branching, while progesterone leads to tertiary branching and alveolar development. The purpose of this investigation was to identify estrogen‐responsive genes associated with pubertal ductal growth in the mouse mammary gland in the absence of other ovarian hormones and at different stages of development. We hypothesized that the estrogen‐induced genes and their associated functions at early stages of ductal elongation would be distinct from those induced after significant ductal elongation had occurred. Therefore, ovariectomized prepubertal mice were exposed to 17β‐estradiol from two to 28 days, and mammary gland global gene expression analyzed by microarray analysis at various times during this period. We found that: (a) gene expression changes in our estrogen‐only model mimic those changes that occur in normal pubertal development in intact mice, (b) both distinct and overlapping gene profiles were observed at varying extents of ductal elongation, and (c) cell proliferation, the immune response, and metabolism/catabolism were the most common functional categories associated with mammary ductal growth. Particularly striking was the novel observation that genes active during carbohydrate metabolism were rapidly and robustly decreased in response to estradiol. Lastly, we identified mammary estradiol‐responsive genes that are also co‐expressed with estrogen receptor α in human breast cancer. In conclusion, our genomic data support the physiological observation that estradiol is one of the primary hormonal signals driving ductal elongation during pubertal mammary development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 733–750, 2009. Published 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

An adjunct mammary epithelial cell population in parous females: its role in functional adaptation and tissue renewal

Mammary gland biologists have long assumed that differentiated secretory epithelial cells undergo programmed cell death at the end of lactation and that the alveolar compartment is reconstituted from undifferentiated precursor cells in subsequent pregnancies. It is generally agreed that the remodeled gland in a parous animal resembles that of a mature virgin at the morphological level. However, several physiological differences have been noted in comparing the responses of mammary epithelia from nulliparous versus parous females to hormonal stimulation and carcinogenic agents. We present genetic evidence that an involuted mammary gland is fundamentally different from a virgin gland, despite its close morphological resemblance. This difference results from the formation of a new mammary epithelial cell population that originates from differentiating cells during pregnancy. In contrast to the majority of fully committed alveolar cells, this epithelial population does not undergo cell death during involution or remodeling after lactation. We show that these cells can function as alveolar progenitors in subsequent pregnancies and that they can play an important role in functional adaptation in genetically engineered mice, which exhibit a reversion of a lactation-deficient phenotype in multiparous animals. In transplantation studies, this parity-induced epithelial population shows the capacity for self-renewal and contributes significantly to the reconstitution of the resulting mammary outgrowth (i.e. ductal morphogenesis and lobulogenesis). We propose that this parity-induced population contributes importantly to the biological differences between the mammary glands of parous and nulliparous females.     

Dual roles for macrophages in ovarian cycle-associated development and remodelling of the mammary gland epithelium

Each ovarian cycle, the mammary gland epithelium rotates through a sequence of hormonally regulated cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. These studies investigate the role of macrophages in this cellular turnover. Macrophage populations and their spatial distribution were found to fluctuate across the cycle. The number of macrophages was highest at diestrus, and the greatest number of macrophages in direct contact with epithelial cells occurred at proestrus. The physiological necessity of macrophages in mammary gland morphogenesis during the estrous cycle was demonstrated in Cd11b-Dtr transgenic mice. Ovariectomised mice were treated with estradiol and progesterone to stimulate alveolar development, and with the progesterone receptor antagonist mifepristone to induce regression of the newly formed alveolar buds. Macrophage depletion during alveolar development resulted in a reduction in both ductal epithelial cell proliferation and the number of alveolar buds. Macrophage depletion during alveolar regression resulted in an increased number of branch points and an accumulation of TUNEL-positive cells. These studies show that macrophages have two roles in the cellular turnover of epithelial cells in the cycling mammary gland; following ovulation, they promote the development of alveolar buds in preparation for possible pregnancy, and they remodel the tissue back to its basic architecture in preparation for a new estrous cycle.     

Expression, activity, and localization of hormone-sensitive lipase in rat mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation

We examined the presence of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in mammary glands of virgin, pregnant (12, 20, and 21 days), and lactating (1 and 4 days postpartum) rats. Immunohistochemistry with antibody against rat HSL revealed positive HSL in the cytoplasm of both alveolar epithelial cells and adipocytes. In virgin rats, immunoreactive HSL was observed in mammary adipocytes, whereas diffuse staining was found in the epithelial cells. Positive staining for HSL was seen in the two types of cells in pregnant and lactating rats. However, as pregnancy advanced, the staining intensity of immunoreactive HSL increased in the epithelial cells parallel to their proliferation, attaining the maximum during lactation. An immunoreactive protein of 84 kDa and a HSL mRNA of 3.3. kb were found in the rat mammary gland as in white adipose tissue. Both HSL protein and activity were lower in mammary glands from 20 and 21 day pregnant rats than from those of virgin rats, although they returned to virgin values on days 1 and 4 of lactation. Mammary gland HSL activity correlated negatively to plasma insulin levels. Immunoreactive HSL and HSL activity were found in lactating rats' milk. The observed changes indicate an active role of HSL in mammary gland lipid metabolism.     

Estradiol, progesterone and prolactin modulate mammary gland morphogenesis in adult female plains vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus)

We studied for the first time the mammary gland morphogenesis and its hormonal modulation by immunolocalizing estradiol, progesterone and prolactin receptors (ER, PR and PRLR) in adult females of Lagostomus maximus, a caviomorph rodent which shows a pseudo-ovulatory process at mid-gestation. Mammary ductal system of non-pregnant females lacks expression of both ERα and ERβ. Yet throughout pregnancy, ERα and ERβ levels increase as well as the expression of PR. These increments are concomitant with ductal branching and alveolar differentiation. Even though mammary gland morphology is quite similar to that described for other rodents, alveolar proliferation and differentiation are accelerated towards the second half of pregnancy, once pseudo-ovulation had occurred. Moreover, this exponential growth correlates with an increment of both progesterone and estradiol serum-induced pseudo-ovulation. As expected, PR and PRLR are strongly expressed in the alveolar epithelium during pregnancy and lactation. Strikingly, PRLR is also present in ductal epithelia of cycling glands suggesting that prolactin function may not be restricted to its trophic effect on mammary glands of pregnant and lactating females, but it also regulates other physiological processes in mammary glands of non-pregnant animals. In conclusion, this report suggests that pseudo-ovulation at mid-gestation may be associated to L. maximus mammary gland growth and differentiation. The rise in P and E2-induced pseudo-ovulation as well as the increased expression of their receptors, all events that correlate with the development of a more elaborated and differentiated ductal network, pinpoint a possible relation between this peculiar physiological event and mammary gland morphogenesis.     

The bone morphogenetic protein receptor-1A pathway is required for lactogenic differentiation of mammary epithelial cells in vitro

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been implicated in the control of proliferation, tissue formation, and differentiation. BMPs regulate the biology of stem and progenitor cells and can promote cellular differentiation, depending on the cell type and context. Although the BMP pathway is known to be involved in early embryonic development of the mammary gland via mesenchymal cells, its role in later epithelial cellular differentiation has not been examined. The majority of the mammary gland development occurs post-natal, and its final functional differentiation is characterized by the emergence of alveolar cells that produce milk proteins. Here, we tested the hypothesis that bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1A (BMPR1A) function was required for mammary epithelial cell differentiation. We found that the BMPR1A-SMAD1/5/8 pathway was predominantly active in undifferentiated mammary epithelial cells, compared with differentiated cells. Reduction of BMPR1A mRNA and protein, using short hairpin RNA, resulted in a reduction of SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation in undifferentiated cells, indicating an impact on this pathway. When the expression of the BMPR1A gene knocked down in undifferentiated cells, this also prevented beta-casein production during differentiation of the mammary epithelial cells by lactogenic hormone stimulation. Addition of Noggin, a BMP antagonist, also prevented beta-casein expression. Together, this demonstrated that BMP-BMPR1A-SMAD1/5/8 signal transduction is required for beta-casein production, a marker of alveolar cell differentiation. This evidence functionally identifies BMPR1A as a potential new regulator of mammary epithelial alveolar cell differentiation.     

Vasopressin and oxytocin receptors on plasma membranes from rat mammary gland. Demonstration of vasopressin receptors by stimulation of inositol phosphate formation, and oxytocin receptors by binding of a specific 125I-labeled oxytocin antagonist, d(CH2)5(1)[Tyr(Me)2, Thr4,Tyr-NH2(9)]OVT

The addition of oxytocin to minces of rat mammary gland preincubated with (3H)myo-inositol stimulated the formation of inositol phosphate (IP) in both lactating and regressed glands. Stimulation was about 4 times greater in regressed tissue, consistent with an oxytocin effect on myoepithelial cells, which are enriched relative to epithelial cells during regression. The stimulation of IP formation was agonist specific, as shown with several oxytocin analogs. Arginine vasopressin (AVP), however, was more than twice as potent as oxytocin in stimulating IP formation in regressed tissue. Both V1- and V2-selective AVP receptor antagonists inhibited the stimulation of IP formation by oxytocin. The V1-selective antagonist was about 10 times more inhibitory than the V2-selective antagonist. [3H]AVP was bound to plasma membranes from the mammary gland of the lactating rat with an apparent Kd of about 0.7 nM and Bmax of 54.6 fmol/mg protein. These values were comparable with those found for AVP receptors of kidney plasma membranes. Our results suggest that the stimulation of IP formation in rat mammary gland by oxytocin occurs through occupancy of AVP, and not oxytocin, receptor sites. A second aspect of these studies was to determine if a recently developed iodinated antagonist of oxytocin-induced uterine contractions could be used as a specific probe for oxytocin receptors in the rat mammary gland. Under steady state conditions, [125I]d(CH2)5(1)[Tyr(Me)2,Thr4,Tyr-NH2(9)]OVT was bound to a single class of independent binding sites in mammary gland plasma membrane from lactating rats with an apparent Kd of 65 pM and Bmax of 225 fmol/mg protein. Noniodinated antagonist had an affinity about 150 times less than the monoiodinated form. The affinity of binding sites for AVP was 10 times greater than the noniodinated antagonist and 2.4 times greater than oxytocin. In view of the presence of AVP receptors in mammary tissue, these findings suggested that the iodinated antagonist binds to AVP receptors. However, comparison of the binding of iodinated antagonist to plasma membranes from the lactating mammary gland with kidney medulla and liver, target sites for AVP, showed that binding was specific for the mammary gland and hence oxytocin receptors. The concentration of oxytocin receptors in mammary gland, as determined by [125I]d(CH2)5(1)[Tyr(Me)2,Thr4,Tyr-NH2(9)]OVT binding, was 4 times greater than the concentration of high-affinity AVP receptors, as determined by [3H]AVP binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

乳腺重构的过程及其调节因素

受到妊娠周期的影响，乳腺组织在雌性哺乳动物一生中经历着妊娠-哺乳-退化的周期性发育变化. 在乳腺退化到再次泌乳的过程中，乳腺细胞经历凋亡和更新，从而实现乳腺组织的自我更新和修复，即乳腺重构. 重构期间乳腺在组织结构和生理过程中发生显著变化，但该过程物种间差异较大. 乳用家畜为维持泌乳，妊娠期和干奶期重叠，展示出独特的再生性乳腺重构. 再生性乳腺重构对乳畜乳腺健康和下一周期的泌乳具有重要意义，研究此过程将为后续调控乳腺自我更新和改善乳腺健康提供思路. 本综述总结了近年来动物乳腺重构的研究进展，系统归纳了影响乳腺重构的因素，包括激素、蛋白酶、细胞因子、热应激、氧化应激、光照周期等，旨在解析乳腺重构的生理机制，为精准调控该过程提供科学依据.     

Cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors/cdk4/cdk2 complexes in early stages of mouse mammary preneoplasia.

The level of circulating ovarian hormones (estrogen and progesterone) alone or in combination with pituitary hormones have a potent mitogenic impact in the normal mammary gland, and they also play a pivotal role in the development and progression of mammary carcinoma. The differential effects of hormones on the molecular components of cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) complexes in mammary epithelium of the hormone-dependent ductal outgrowth line, EL11, and the hormone-independent alveolar outgrowth line, TM2L, were the focus of this study. The two outgrowth lines, which represent early stages in mammary hyperplasia, were compared with normal mammary gland at different hormonal conditions: control, hormone stimulated by pituitary isograft, and hormone depleted by ovariectomy. Hormonal stimulation by a pituitary isograft resulted in DNA synthesis and lobuloalveolar development of normal mammary ducts, DNA synthesis but no lobuloalveolar development in the EL11 ductal outgrowth, and no changes either in DNA synthesis or in lobuloalveolar morphology in the TM2L outgrowth. The levels of cdk4- and cyclin D1-associated kinase activities were correlated with cell proliferation in only the alveolar phenotypes (i.e., in only hormonally stimulated normal virgin gland and in alveolar mammary outgrowth), whereas cyclin D2-dependent kinase activity was correlated with cell proliferation in only the alveolar preneoplasia. p16(INK4a) and p21(Cip1) protein levels were decreased at the earliest stages of preneoplasia, i.e., at immortalization, and were independent from changes in cyclin D1, which occurred later in preneoplasia. Although all cdk inhibitors changed in concordance with hormonal status reflected by proliferation levels, p27(Kip1) was the only cdk inhibitor that was up-regulated at the earliest stages of preneoplasia and may have a unique role in blocking alveolar differentiation in response to the loss of one or more of the cell cycle-negative regulators. We hypothesize that up-regulation of p27(Kip1) prevents immortalized ductal outgrowths (EL11) from progressing to the neoplastic state, even under hormonal stimulation.     

Enzyme Histochemistry as a Link between Biochemistry and Morphology

A study has been made of the progress of involution of the mouse and rat mammary gland using histologic, electron microscopic, histochemical and autoradiographic methods. Particular emphasis has been placed on the morphology, metabolic alte-rations and activities of histochemically identifiable enzymes, and on the pharmacologic effects of lactation inhibiting agents and cytostatic drugs on lactation and involution. In order to allow a systematic investi-gation, involution was initiated in rats and mice by ligation of individual gland ducts at various time intervals. Both lactating glands and glands in different phases of involution were thus available in a given animal.The most important observation was that involution, which altogether takes approximately 2 weeks to be complete, involves a three-phase process, each phase being clearly distinguishable by morphologic and histochemical criteria. The first phase comprises approximately 4 days during which production of milk may be reinitiated. The second phase starts on day 5 of involution and constitutes the period of involution per se characterized by appreciable parenchymal cell degradation. The third phase, which starts around day 10, is the period of reorganization to the resting mammary gland.Early in the first phase of involution, substantial alveolar enlargement due to engorgement with milk, together with epithelial flattening, are prominent features. By day 3, the glandular contents decrease again in volume, the number of glandular cells and the constituent cytoplasmic organelles remaining unchanged during this period, except for the diminished appearance of fat droplets. In addition to normal appearing vacuoles with only occasional or sparse protein granules, giant vacuoles containing, in part, several hundred casein granules are found. Their formation appears to be due to increased stacking of granules in distended vacuoles prior to dissociation from the Golgi apparatus. In addition, however, the enhanced reactions of a1P (alkaline phosphatase) and ATPase, which are found in the apical plasmalemma, are suggestive of resorptive activities. Protein particles absorbed from the glandular lumen equally appear to have a capacity for fusing into large vacuoles. The large protein granule-containing vacuoles regularly exhibit intense (3-Glu activity. This enzyme would appear to contribute actively to the degradation of excess milk during the first phase of involution.Autoradiographic studies reveal that the synthesis and release of proteins into the secretion is maintained for 3 days. While 3H-tyrosine uptake by the alveolar cells continues unchanged, the incorporation of 3H-palmitic acid into glandular lipoids, and of 3H-fucose into glandular polysaccharides is virtually blocked completely. An immediate reaction of the lipoid metabolism is also indicated by the decrease in 3HBDH activity on the first day of involution.The activities of the histochemically detected oxidoreductases (LDH, MDH, SDH, G6PDH, 3HBDH) show a sharp fall on day 1 of involution, reaching levels approximately one half of the activity observed during lactation, as shown on micro densitometry. The activities remain unchanged during the following 4 days.No degradation of glandular parenchyma is noted during the-first phase of involution. The glandular cells rather take a -wait-and-see- attitude which enables them to participate again in the secretion of milk, as need arises. At this time the activities of the enzymes implicated in energy metabolism have reached approximately the resting mammary gland level. Only protein synthesis is maintained virtually unrestricted and this results in the production of excess milk constituents that are degraded as soon as they are being formed.In the second phase of involution, large seg-ments of the glandular epithelium undergo invo-lution, a process which involves the destruction of glandular epithelial cells and the removal of the resulting cellular debris from the mammary gland. The glandular cells remaining are transformed into resting cells. The lysosomes of the glandular epithelial cells, with maximum numbers being attained between days 7 to 9, contribute decisively to this degradative process. Ultra-structurally, this stage is initially characterized by the appearance in the alveolar cell cytoplasm of segregated cytoplasmic areas which stain negatively for acP (acid phosphatase) and are rich in organelles. These cytoplasmic areas change to membrane-bordered lysosomes which possess intense acP activity. The lysosomes are obviously required for the autophagic degradation of cytoplasmic segments. At the same time the activities of other lysosomal enzymes, involving acP, N-A-Gase, AMPase and AS, show a sharp increase. ATPase and TPPase likewise exhibit considerably increased activity during the second phase of involution. It is seen on microdensitometry that during this phase the acP attains approximately three times the lactation activity. In contrast, the activity of (3-Glu, after having shown a very high increase during the first phase, reverts again to the resting mammary gland level.During the second phase of involution, the oxidoreductases are subject to a further drastic decline of their activities. This process, which consistently affects all segments of the mammary gland,,comes to completion within a few hours. The reaction is found to be minimal around day 5 of involution, at a time when the enzyme activities are approximately one quarter of the lactation levels.At this time, many alveolar cells are destroyed and released into the glandular lumen, the acP retaining its activity in the lysosomes of sloughed cells or cell debris. The resulting gaps in the alveolar epithelium are either bridged immediately or remain detectable on histology. Yet the glandular contents do not pass into the interstitial tissue. The adherence of the glandular tree and the glandular epithelium is ensured by myoepithelial cells. The basement membrane effects the complete segregation of the parenchyma from the interstitial tissue:Macrophages which at this stage occur increa-singly near the alveoli, in the alveolar epithelium and in regional lymph nodes, and which are conspicuous due to numerous acP-laden lysosomes participate essentially in glandular regression.The third phase of involution, which takes place approximately 10 to 14 days following the onset of milk stasis, is the period of reorganization to the resting mammary gland, a period during which glandular cells containing little cytoplasm and sparse organelle lining make their appearance. However, the activities of acP and other lysosomal enzymes remain elevated compared to the pregestational level. Histochemically, the reaction of the oxidoreductases is more intense than during the second involutionary phase, corresponding roughly to the level of the mammary gland in the resting state. The formation of the glandular epithelial cells of the resting mammary gland is not due to renewed mitotic activity, but results from the reduction of actively secreting epithelial cells.Throughout the period of involution the myo-epithelium consistently changes its shape. How-ever, cytoplasmic alterations are not discernible on electron microscopy, nor do these cells undergo degradation during glandular involution. The alP reaction is of particular value for the identification of the myoepithelial cells. No alteration in enzyme activities is demonstrable at the histochemical level throughout the process of involution.Alterations in the interstitial tissue affect particularly the adipose tissue. During lactation, the interalveolar space exhibits only a narrow connective tissue layer which changes insignificantly during the first phase of involution, whereas the subsequent incorporation of lipids results in the formation of plurilocular lipid cells and the reappearance of unilocular adipose tissue as involution advances. During this period the vessels move away from the alveoli.The response of the mammary gland to lactation inhibiting and cytostatic drugs varies, depending on the agent administered. Estrogencontaining drugs lead to an involutionary process which in its initial phase differs from that observed during normal glandular regression. Due to the fact that the milk continues to be suckled by the young, milk production however ceasing very rapidly, the (3-Glu activity is not found to increase greatly during the first phase of involution. The behavior of the lysosomal enzymes during the second phase resembles that seen during normal involution.After administration of the ergot alkaloid 2-Br-a-ergokryptine methane sulfonate (CB 154), the process of involution is initiated only in individual mammary gland cells if the young are left with the mother. In these areas involution takes a normal course. Altogether, milk production changes only insignificantly.The cytostatic drug 5-fluorouracil does not induce direct involution. Milk production apparently is not arrested. However, the pups, when left with the mother, die after 5 to 6 days. Death would appear to be due to the cytotoxic action of 5-fluorouracil.     

Nafoxidine administered to newborn female GR mice arrests the development of their mammary glands

Mice of the GR strain develop many hormone-dependent mammary tumors in response to estrogen and progesterone stimulation. Since this strain is so sensitive to steroid hormones, we administered a single dose of the antiestrogen Nafoxidine to female GR mice within 24 hours after their birth. This treatment arrested the development of their mammary glands and when the mice were adults, 10 weeks old, they did not cycle normally but were in a state of persistent estrus. Whole mounts of mammary glands from Nafoxidine-treated mice revealed cystic areas within some ducts and bulbous swellings at the ends of others. No hyperplastic alveolar nodules (HAN) were identified in the glands. In contrast, a single dose of 17 beta estradiol administered within 24 h after birth, resulted in a highly branched gland displaying typical end buds, a few alveoli and more HAN than were observed in glands of control adult mice of the same strain. Thus Nafoxidine treatment not only arrested the development of the mammary glands in female GR mice (causing them to appear "masculinized") but it also produced abnormalities within the glands.     

Immunocytochemical identification of proliferating cell types in mouse mammary gland

To study cell proliferation in different cell types and segments of the mammary gland, we devised a dual staining procedure, combining nuclear labeling by 5-bromo-2'-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) uptake (revealed by a dark-brown precipitate) and an alternative (red or blue) cytoplasmic labeling by antibodies specific for the differentiation proteins of epithelial, myoepithelial, and secretory cell types. The following markers, revealed by APAAP or beta-galactosidase procedure, were selected: alpha-smooth muscle actin for the myoepithelial cells, keratin (detected by AE1 monoclonal) for the luminal epithelial cells, alpha-lactalbumin and beta-casein for the secretory cells. To follow the full process of organogenesis, the study was conducted in mouse mammary glands from virgin, primed, and lactating animals and from glands cultured in vitro under specific hormone stimulation. Cell proliferation was localized mainly in focal areas (end buds), and mostly corresponded to "null" undifferentiated cells. Estrogen and progestin stimulation induced a relative increase of proliferating differentiated cells of either epithelial or myoepithelial type, localized in ducts and alveolar structures. Prolactin stimulation induced proliferation in secretory cells.     

Parathyroid hormone-related protein is not required for normal ductal or alveolar development in the post-natal mammary gland

PTHrP is necessary for the formation of the embryonic mammary gland and, in its absence, the embryonic mammary bud fails to form the neonatal duct system. In addition, PTHrP is produced by the breast during lactation and contributes to the regulation of maternal calcium homeostasis during milk production. In this study, we examined the role of PTHrP during post-natal mammary development. Using a PTHrP-lacZ transgenic mouse, we surveyed the expression of PTHrP in the developing post-natal mouse mammary gland. We found that PTHrP expression is restricted to the basal cells of the gland during pubertal development and becomes expressed in milk secreting alveolar cells during pregnancy and lactation. Based on the previous findings that overexpression of PTHrP in cap and myoepithelial cells inhibited ductal elongation during puberty, we predicted that ablation of native PTHrP expression in the post-natal gland would result in accelerated ductal development. To address this hypothesis, we generated two conditional models of PTHrP-deficiency specifically targeted to the postnatal mammary gland. We used the MMTV-Cre transgene to ablate the floxed PTHrP gene in both luminal and myoepithelial cells and a tetracycline-regulated K14-tTA;tetO-Cre transgene to target PTHrP expression in just myoepithelial and cap cells. In both models of PTHrP ablation, we found that mammary development proceeds normally despite the absence of PTHrP. We conclude that PTHrP signaling is not required for normal ductal or alveolar development.     

Influence of chemopreventive agents on estradiol metabolism and mammary preneoplasia in the C3H mouse

The C3H strain of mouse has a high incidence of murine mammary tumor virus-induced mammary tumors, and tumorigenesis progresses via the intermediate formation of the preneoplastic, hyperplastic alveolar nodules (HANs). The C3H mouse also exhibits an elevation in 16 alpha-hydroxylation of estradiol which remains unaltered in relation to the age or presence of tumor, but which is detectable well before the emergence of overt mammary cancer. This metabolic pathway leads to the formation of 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone (16 alpha-OHE1), a putative promoter of mammary cancer. The present study examines the effect of two prototype chemopreventive agents, tamoxifen (TAM) and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (HPR), on 16 alpha-hydroxylation of estradiol and on the growth of HANs. Treatment with TAM, HPR, or a combination of TAM and HPR for 4 weeks in 6- to 8-week-old C3H mice resulted in a consistent elevation in the 16 alpha-hydroxylation pathway of estradiol metabolism relative to the placebo control group (20.50% +/- 2.35%, 21.46% +/- 1.49%, 18.00% +/- 1.75%, and 12.64% +/- 1.45% SD, respectively) and in a significant decrease in the mean frequency of HANs per mammary gland (1.4, 2.1, 0.0, and 5.8, respectively). Mice without any experimental manipulation exhibited an age-dependent progressive increase in HAN frequency from 1.5 per gland at 4 weeks of age to 12.1 per gland at 24 weeks of age. Administration of TAM, HPR, or a combination of TAM and HPR up to 22 weeks of age resulted in a continued suppression of HAN frequency, and the two agents in combination exerted an additive effect on the suppression of HAN development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Regulation of mammary morphogenesis: evidence for extracellular matrix-mediated inhibition of ductal budding by transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Branching morphogenesis in the mammary gland involves focal regions of cell proliferation, the terminal and lateral ductal buds, that exist simultaneously with extensive regions of differentiated ducts in which budding and growth are actively suppressed. Exogenous transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) has previously been shown to locally inhibit the formation and growth of mammary ductal buds. Here we report that endogenous TGF-beta 1, produced by epithelial and stromal mammary cells, forms complexes with extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules surrounding those ductal structures in which budding is inhibited. The largest amounts of immunostainable TGF-beta 1 are found in mature periductal ECM, and the least in newly synthesized ECM. In all areas of active ductal growth, where DNA-synthetic buds were forming new ductal branches, we found a highly focal loss of TGF-beta 1 from the periductal ECM at the bud-forming region of the duct. When growth of the new buds terminated, the structures again became associated with TGF-beta-rich ECM. These findings indicate that ECM must reach a certain state of maturity before it becomes associated with TGF-beta 1 and that TGF-beta 1 can be depleted selectively from the periductal ECM at focal growth points. A different type of growth point, the alveolar (secretory) buds, was also investigated. These buds are known not to be inhibited by exogenous TGF-beta 1, and we found them not to be associated with changes in ECM-bound TGF-beta 1. Our results support the concept that the periductal ECM acts as a reservoir for TGF-beta 1 that functions to maintain an open pattern of mammary branching by inhibiting ductal, but not alveolar, bud formation.     

Pregnancy-Induced Noncoding RNA (PINC) Associates with Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 and Regulates Mammary Epithelial Differentiation

Pregnancy-induced noncoding RNA (PINC) and retinoblastoma-associated protein 46 (RbAp46) are upregulated in alveolar cells of the mammary gland during pregnancy and persist in alveolar cells that remain in the regressed lobules following involution. The cells that survive involution are thought to function as alveolar progenitor cells that rapidly differentiate into milk-producing cells in subsequent pregnancies, but it is unknown whether PINC and RbAp46 are involved in maintaining this progenitor population. Here, we show that, in the post-pubertal mouse mammary gland, mPINC is enriched in luminal and alveolar progenitors. mPINC levels increase throughout pregnancy and then decline in early lactation, when alveolar cells undergo terminal differentiation. Accordingly, mPINC expression is significantly decreased when HC11 mammary epithelial cells are induced to differentiate and produce milk proteins. This reduction in mPINC levels may be necessary for lactation, as overexpression of mPINC in HC11 cells blocks lactogenic differentiation, while knockdown of mPINC enhances differentiation. Finally, we demonstrate that mPINC interacts with RbAp46, as well as other members of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), and identify potential targets of mPINC that are differentially expressed following modulation of mPINC expression levels. Taken together, our data suggest that mPINC inhibits terminal differentiation of alveolar cells during pregnancy to prevent abundant milk production and secretion until parturition. Additionally, a PRC2 complex that includes mPINC and RbAp46 may confer epigenetic modifications that maintain a population of mammary epithelial cells committed to the alveolar fate in the involuted gland.