Nelson D. Horseman

Defective mammopoiesis, but normal hematopoiesis, in mice with a targeted disruption of the prolactin gene

Prolactin (PRL) has been implicated in numerous physiological and developmental processes. The mouse PRL gene was disrupted by homologous recombination. The mutation caused infertility in female mice, but did not prevent female mice from manifesting spontaneous maternal behaviors. PRL‐deficient males were fertile and produced offspring with normal Mendelian gender and genotype ratios when they were mated with heterozygous females. Mammary glands of mutant female mice developed a normal ductal tree, but the ducts failed to develop lobular decorations, which is a characteristic of the normal virgin adult mammary gland. The potential effect of PRL gene disruption on antigen‐independent primary hematopoiesis was assessed. The results of this analysis indicated that myelopoiesis and primary lymphopoiesis were unaltered in the mutant mice. Consistent with these observations in PRL mutant mice, PRL failed to correct the bone marrow B cell deficiency of Snell dwarf mice. These results argue that PRL does not play any indispensable role in primary lymphocyte development and homeostasis, or in myeloid differentiation. The PRL−/− mouse model provides a new research tool with which to resolve a variety of questions regarding the involvement of both endocrine and paracrine sources of PRL in reproduction, lactogenesis, tumorigenesis and immunoregulation.

Serotonin regulates mammary gland development via an autocrine-paracrine loop.

Mammary gland development is controlled by a dynamic interplay between endocrine hormones and locally produced factors. Biogenic monoamines (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and others) are an important class of bioregulatory molecules that have not been shown to participate in mammary development. Here we show that mammary glands stimulated by prolactin (PRL) express genes essential for serotonin biosynthesis (tryptophan hydroxylase [TPH] and aromatic amine decarboxylase). TPH mRNA was elevated during pregnancy and lactation, and serotonin was detected in the mammary epithelium and in milk. TPH was induced by PRL in mammosphere cultures and by milk stasis in nursing dams, suggesting that the gene is controlled by milk filling in the alveoli. Serotonin suppressed beta-casein gene expression and caused shrinkage of mammary alveoli. Conversely, TPH1 gene disruption or antiserotonergic drugs resulted in enhanced secretory features and alveolar dilation. Thus, autocrine-paracrine serotonin signaling is an important regulator of mammary homeostasis and early involution.

Anterior pituitary hormones, stress, and immune system homeostasis

An extensive, and controversial, literature concluding that prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and thyroid hormones are critical immunoregulatory factors has accumulated. However, recent studies of mice deficient in the production of these hormones or expression of their receptors indicate that there are only a few instances in which these hormones are required for lymphocyte development or antigen responsiveness. Instead, a case is made that their primary role is to counteract the effects of negative immunoregulatory factors, such as glucocorticoids, which are produced when the organism is subjected to major stressors. The immunoprotective actions of PRL, GH, IGF-I, and/or thyroid hormones in these instances may ensure immune system homeostasis and reduce the susceptibility to stress-induced disease. These immuno-enhancing effects could be exploited clinically in instances where the immune system is depressed due to illness or various treatment regimens.

Prolactin and Mammary Gland Development

Prolactin (PRL) regulates the development of themammary gland at three stages in the reproductive lifehistory of females. The first stage is mammary glandorganogenesis, during which PRL contributes to the maturation of the mammary glands from aprimary ductal system, which grows from terminal endbuds, to the fully mature nonpregnant gland. The maturemammary gland is characterized by an absence of terminal end buds, and the development of a highlybranched architecture, which is decorated by lobularbuds. During pregnancy PRL, placental lactogens, andprogesterone stimulate the expansion and physiological differentiation of the lobuloalveolar systemfrom the lobular buds. After delivery PRL, in thecontext of falling progesterone, stimulates the finalinduction of milk protein gene expression and lactation. PRL acts directly on the mammary epithelium,and indirectly by stimulating luteal progesteronesecretion in rodents. Disruption of the genes for PRLand the PRL receptor, as well as those for transcription factors important in mammary gland regulation(Stat proteins), have provided a new set of animalmodels with which to study normal mammary glanddevelopment and the relationships of PRL to breastcarcinogenesis. Two major deficiencies in our current knowledgeof PRL actions are our understanding of the role ofepithelial-stromal interactions in PRL-induced mammarymorphogenesis, and the identity of developmentally important genes that are regulated by PRLduring normal mammary gland organogenesis.

Mammary gland homeostasis employs serotonergic regulation of epithelial tight junctions

Homeostatic control of volume within the alveolar spaces of the mammary gland has been proposed to involve a feedback system mediated by serotonin signaling. In this article, we describe some of the mechanisms underlying this feedback based on studies of a human normal mammary epithelial cell line (MCF10A) and mouse mammary epithelium. Mammary serotonin was elevated during lactation and after injection of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). The genes encoding the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) and the type 7 serotonin receptor (5-HT7) were expressed in human and mouse mammary epithelial cells, and serotonin caused a concentration-dependent increase of cAMP in MCF10A cells. Mouse and human mammary epithelial cells formed polarized membranes, in which tight junction activity was monitored. Treatment of mammary epithelial membranes with serotonin receptor antagonists increased their transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Antagonist and agonist effects on TEER were mediated by receptors on the basolateral face of the membranes. Our results suggest a process in which serotonin accumulates in the interstitial fluid surrounding the mammary secretory epithelium and is detected by 5-HT7 receptors, whereupon milk secretion is inhibited. One mechanism responsible for this process is serotonin-mediated opening of tight junctions, which dissipates the transepithelial gradients necessary for milk secretion.

Prolactin gene-disruption arrests mammary gland development and retards T-antigen-induced tumor growth.

Prolactin (PRL), interacting with other hormones from the pituitary, gonad, and placenta, activates specific signals that drive the appropriately timed morphological and functional development of the mammary gland. A mouse model of isolated PRL deficiency (PRL−/−) was created by gene disruption in an effort to further understand the molecular basis of mammary gland development and breast cancer. Whereas primary ductal growth was normal in PRL−/− mice, ductal arborization was minimal (branches/mm2=1.5±0.5), and lobular budding was absent. Replacement therapy with PRL injections stimulated a modest degree of lobular budding and ductal arborization (3.75±0.9). Pituitary transplants to the kidney capsule of PRL−/− mice restored lobular budding and ductal arborization, to the full extent of that seen in control animals (20.3±5.5). Pregnancy, established by mating progesterone-treated PRL−/− females with PRL−/− males, led to complete morphological development of the mammary gland, appropriate to the gestational stage. PRL treatment stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation and DNA binding activity of Stat5a, but not Stat1 in PRL−/− or PRL+/− females, and Stat5a, but not Stat1, was elevated by estradiol within 24 h. PRL-deficient mice were crossed with mice expressing a dominant oncogene (polyoma middle-T antigen driven by the MMTV promoter, PyVT mice). Palpable (1 mm3) tumors were detected an average of 9 days earlier in hormonally normal females (PRL+/−:PyVT) compared with littermates that were PRL-deficient (PRL−/−:PyVT). The growth rate of PyVT-induced tumors was 30% faster in PRL+/−, than in PRL−/− females.

STAT3 and STAT5B Are Targets of Two Different Signal Pathways Activated by Hematopoietin Receptors and Control Transcription via Separate Cytokine Response Elements

Transient transfection of expression vectors for various members of the hematopoietin receptor family and STAT proteins into COS-1 cells indicated that each receptor was capable of stimulating the DNA binding activity of STAT1, STAT3, and STAT5B. However, gp130 preferentially activated STAT1 and STAT3. Activation of STAT5B differed from that of the other two in that the box 3 sequence motif in the cytoplasmic domain of gp130 was not required. Moreover, STAT5B and STAT3 enhanced gene transcription via separate regulatory elements. This study has identified two potential signal transduction pathways by which hematopoietin receptors, including the interleukin-6 receptor, control transcription of acute phase plasma protein genes in hepatic cells.

Altered serotonin physiology in human breast cancers favors paradoxical growth and cell survival

IntroductionThe breast microenvironment can either retard or accelerate the events associated with progression of latent cancers. However, the actions of local physiological mediators in the context of breast cancers are poorly understood. Serotonin (5-HT) is a critical local regulator of epithelial homeostasis in the breast and other organs. Herein, we report complex alterations in the intrinsic mammary gland serotonin system of human breast cancers.MethodsSerotonin biosynthetic capacity was analyzed in human breast tumor tissue microarrays using immunohistochemistry for tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1). Serotonin receptors (5-HT1-7) were analyzed in human breast tumors using the Oncomine database. Serotonin receptor expression, signal transduction, and 5-HT effects on breast cancer cell phenotype were compared in non-transformed and transformed human breast cells.ResultsIn the context of the normal mammary gland, 5-HT acts as a physiological regulator of lactation and involution, in part by favoring growth arrest and cell death. This tightly regulated 5-HT system is subverted in multiple ways in human breast cancers. Specifically, TPH1 expression undergoes a non-linear change during progression, with increased expression during malignant progression. Correspondingly, the tightly regulated pattern of 5-HT receptors becomes dysregulated in human breast cancer cells, resulting in both ectopic expression of some isoforms and suppression of others. The receptor expression change is accompanied by altered downstream signaling of 5-HT receptors in human breast cancer cells, resulting in resistance to 5-HT-induced apoptosis, and stimulated proliferation.ConclusionsOur data constitutes the first report of direct involvement of 5-HT in human breast cancer. Increased 5-HT biosynthetic capacity accompanied by multiple changes in 5-HT receptor expression and signaling favor malignant progression of human breast cancer cells (for example, stimulated proliferation, inappropriate cell survival). This occurs through uncoupling of serotonin from the homeostatic regulatory mechanisms of the normal mammary epithelium. The findings open a new avenue for identification of diagnostic and prognostic markers, and valuable new therapeutic targets for managing breast cancer.

RNA Sequencing of the Human Milk Fat Layer Transcriptome Reveals Distinct Gene Expression Profiles at Three Stages of Lactation

Aware of the important benefits of human milk, most U.S. women initiate breastfeeding but difficulties with milk supply lead some to quit earlier than intended. Yet, the contribution of maternal physiology to lactation difficulties remains poorly understood. Human milk fat globules, by enveloping cell contents during their secretion into milk, are a rich source of mammary cell RNA. Here, we pair this non-invasive mRNA source with RNA-sequencing to probe the milk fat layer transcriptome during three stages of lactation: colostral, transitional, and mature milk production. The resulting transcriptomes paint an exquisite portrait of human lactation. The resulting transcriptional profiles cluster not by postpartum day, but by milk Na:K ratio, indicating that women sampled during similar postpartum time frames could be at markedly different stages of gene expression. Each stage of lactation is characterized by a dynamic range (105-fold) in transcript abundances not previously observed with microarray technology. We discovered that transcripts for isoferritins and cathepsins are strikingly abundant during colostrum production, highlighting the potential importance of these proteins for neonatal health. Two transcripts, encoding β-casein (CSN2) and α-lactalbumin (LALBA), make up 45% of the total pool of mRNA in mature lactation. Genes significantly expressed across all stages of lactation are associated with making, modifying, transporting, and packaging milk proteins. Stage-specific transcripts are associated with immune defense during the colostral stage, up-regulation of the machinery needed for milk protein synthesis during the transitional stage, and the production of lipids during mature lactation. We observed strong modulation of key genes involved in lactose synthesis and insulin signaling. In particular, protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type, F (PTPRF) may serve as a biomarker linking insulin resistance with insufficient milk supply. This study provides the methodology and reference data set to enable future targeted research on the physiological contributors of sub-optimal lactation in humans.

Lactation and Neonatal Nutrition: Defining and Refining the Critical Questions

This paper resulted from a conference entitled “Lactation and Milk: Defining and refining the critical questions” held at the University of Colorado School of Medicine from January 18–20, 2012. The mission of the conference was to identify unresolved questions and set future goals for research into human milk composition, mammary development and lactation. We first outline the unanswered questions regarding the composition of human milk (Section I) and the mechanisms by which milk components affect neonatal development, growth and health and recommend models for future research. Emerging questions about how milk components affect cognitive development and behavioral phenotype of the offspring are presented in Section II. In Section III we outline the important unanswered questions about regulation of mammary gland development, the heritability of defects, the effects of maternal nutrition, disease, metabolic status, and therapeutic drugs upon the subsequent lactation. Questions surrounding breastfeeding practice are also highlighted. In Section IV we describe the specific nutritional challenges faced by three different populations, namely preterm infants, infants born to obese mothers who may or may not have gestational diabetes, and infants born to undernourished mothers. The recognition that multidisciplinary training is critical to advancing the field led us to formulate specific training recommendations in Section V. Our recommendations for research emphasis are summarized in Section VI. In sum, we present a roadmap for multidisciplinary research into all aspects of human lactation, milk and its role in infant nutrition for the next decade and beyond.