C/EBPβ deletion in macrophages impairs alveolar budding by altering the Wnt landscape during mammary gland development
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ABSTRACT: Macrophages have important roles in mammary gland development and tissue homeostasis, but the specific mechanisms that regulate macrophage function need further elucidation. We have identified C/EBPβ as an important macrophage factor that is present in multiple populations of the normal mammary gland. Mammary glands from mice with C/EBPβ-deficient macrophages showed a significant decrease in alveolar budding during the estrus cycle. Deletion of C/EBPβ from macrophages resulted in changes in cytokine production, and an inability of both epithelial cells and macrophages to respond progesterone. RNA sequencing showed significant changes in PR-responsive genes and alterations in the Wnt landscape of epithelial cells in mammary glands that lacked C/EBPbeta in macrophages, which have been shown to mediate stem cell expansion during diestrus. These studies suggest that C/EBPbeta is a critical macrophage factor that facilitates macrophage-epithelial crosstalk during a key stage of mammary gland tissue homeostasis, and have critical implications for how disruption of tissue homeostasis can lead to tumorigenesis.
Project description:Tissue resident macrophages in the mammary gland are found in close association with epithelial structures and within the adipose stroma, and are important for mammary gland development and tissue homeostasis. While epithelial-associated macrophages have been linked to ductal development, the contributions of stromal macrophages to mammary gland homeostasis remain unknown. Using transcriptional profiling, we identify a distinct resident stromal macrophage subpopulation that is characterized by expression of Lyve-1, a receptor for the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan. This subpopulation is enriched in genes associated with extracellular matrix remodeling and is found to be specifically associated with hyaluronan-rich regions within the mammary stroma. Furthermore, macrophage depletion leads to increased accumulation of hyaluronan-associated extracellular matrix in the mammary stroma. These results demonstrate the presence of a distinct subpopulation of macrophages and provide insights into the functional contributions of these macrophages to stromal homeostasis in the mammary gland.
Project description:Macrophages are involved in immune defense, organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. They also contribute to the different phases of mammary gland remodeling during development, pregnancy and involution post-lactation. Yet, less is known about the dynamics of mammary gland macrophages in the lactation stage. Here, we describe a macrophage population present during lactation in mice. By multi-parameter flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing we reveal this population as distinct from the two resident macrophage subsets present pregestationally. These lactation-induced macrophages (LiMacs) are predominantly monocyte-derived and expand by proliferation in situ concomitant with nursing. LiMacs develop independently of IL-34 but require CSF-1 signaling and are partly microbiota-dependent. Locally, they reside adjacent to the basal cells of the alveoli and extravasate into the milk. Moreover, we also found several macrophage subsets in human milk, resembling LiMacs. Collectively, these findings reveal the emergence of unique macrophages in the mammary gland and milk during lactation.
Project description:Macrophages are diverse immune cells that reside in all tissues to regulate development, function and homeostasis. In the mammary gland, a highly dynamic organ that undergoes dramatic remodeling throughout life, macrophages have been implicated in development and breast tumorigenesis. Ductal macrophages, as opposed to their stromal counterparts, were found to promote ductal morphogenesis during puberty and efficiently phagocytose alveolar cells post-lactation. Within mammary tumors, only ductal macrophages expanded to form a network throughout the tumor, where they also contact intra-tumoral T cells. Furthermore, ductal macrophages accelerated the growth of tumor organoids. Thus, pro-remodeling mammary ductal macrophages represent the normal tissue counterpart of tumor macrophages in an organ that is highly susceptible to oncogenesis. To gain insight into ductal macrophage function, we sorted all antigen presenting cell populations from mouse mammary glands and undertook RNA-seq expression profiling. This showed that ductal macrophages have a distinct expression profile from those of stromal macrophages or dendritic cells from the mammary gland. Results from this data series are presented in Figure 2 of Dawson et al (2020).
Project description:The salivary glands often become damaged in individuals receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, resulting in chronic dry mouth. This leads to detrimental effects on their health and quality of life, for which there is no regenerative therapy. Macrophages are the predominant immune cell in the salivary glands and are attractive therapeutic targets due to their unrivalled capacity to drive tissue repair. Yet, the nature and role of macrophages in salivary gland homeostasis, and how they may contribute to tissue repair following injury is not well understood. Here, using scRNAseq we profile the transcriptomes of adult mouse salivary gland macrophages at steady state (D0) and at days 3 and 28 after targeted irradiation injury to define the transcriptional profiles of macrophages during homeostasis, acute injury and regeneration. We sorted epithelial cells (CD326+), endothelial cells (CD31+) and macrophages (CD45+CD11b+F4/80+) and sequenced their transcriptomes using 10x Genomics Single Cell 3' (v3.1). For each sample equal numbers of cells from 2 mice were pooled.
Project description:The development of branched organs like mammary and salivary glands is regulated by tissue interactions between the epithelial and mesenchymal tissues. Mammary gland consists of a branched epithelial ductal network embedded in a mammary specific mesenchyme. In order to uncover the molecular mechanisms regulating embryonic mammary gland development, we compared the transcriptomes of mesenchymes from different development stages and tissues by RNA-sequencing
Project description:Akt1, a serine-threonine protein kinase member of the PKB/Akt gene family, plays a critical role in the regulation of several cellular processes including cell proliferation and apoptosis. In this study, we utilized Akt1+/+ and Akt1¬-/- C57/Bl6 female mice to demonstrate that Akt1 is required for normal mammary gland postnatal development and homeostasis. Akt1 deficiency resulted in severely delayed postnatal mammary gland growth as well as a significant decrease in the number of terminal end buds during puberty. Adult Akt1-/- mammary glands exhibited significantly fewer alveolar buds coupled with a significant increase in epithelial cell apoptosis compared to their wild-type counterparts. Microarray analysis revealed that Akt1 deficiency resulted in several altered gene expression changes and biological processes in adult mammary glands, including organismal development, cell death, and tissue morphology. Of particular importance, a significant decrease in expression of Btn1a1, a gene involved in milk lipid secretion, was observed in Akt1-/- mammary glands by both microarray and RT-PCR validation. Transcriptome analysis of Akt1 wild type and akt1-homozygous mouse mammary glands wild type mammary glands from 3 mice and Akt1-deficient mammary glands from 3 mice were analyzed for differences in gene expression at postnatal day 70
Project description:Macrophages are involved in immune defense, organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. They also contribute to the different phases of mammary gland remodeling during development, pregnancy and involution post-lactation. Yet, less is known about the dynamics of mammary gland macrophages in the lactation stage. Here, we describe a macrophage population present during lactation in mice. By multi-parameter flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing we reveal this population as distinct from the two resident macrophage subsets present pregestationally. These lactation-induced macrophages (LiMacs) are predominantly monocyte-derived and expand by proliferation in situ concomitant with nursing. LiMacs develop independently of IL-34 but require CSF-1 signaling and are partly microbiota-dependent. Locally, they reside adjacent to the basal cells of the alveoli and extravasate into the milk. Moreover, we also found several macrophage subsets in human milk, resembling LiMacs. Collectively, these findings reveal the emergence of unique macrophages in the mammary gland and milk during lactation.
Project description:Macrophages are involved in immune defense, organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. They also contribute to the different phases of mammary gland remodeling during development, pregnancy and involution post-lactation. Yet, less is known about the dynamics of mammary gland macrophages in the lactation stage. Here, we describe a macrophage population present during lactation in mice. By multi-parameter flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing we reveal this population as distinct from the two resident macrophage subsets present pregestationally. These lactation-induced macrophages (LiMacs) are predominantly monocyte-derived and expand by proliferation in situ concomitant with nursing. LiMacs develop independently of IL-34 but require CSF-1 signaling and are partly microbiota-dependent. Locally, they reside adjacent to the basal cells of the alveoli and extravasate into the milk. Moreover, we also found several macrophage subsets in human milk, resembling LiMacs. Collectively, these findings reveal the emergence of unique macrophages in the mammary gland and milk during lactation.
Project description:Akt1, a serine-threonine protein kinase member of the PKB/Akt gene family, plays a critical role in the regulation of several cellular processes including cell proliferation and apoptosis. In this study, we utilized Akt1+/+ and Akt1¬-/- C57/Bl6 female mice to demonstrate that Akt1 is required for normal mammary gland postnatal development and homeostasis. Akt1 deficiency resulted in severely delayed postnatal mammary gland growth as well as a significant decrease in the number of terminal end buds during puberty. Adult Akt1-/- mammary glands exhibited significantly fewer alveolar buds coupled with a significant increase in epithelial cell apoptosis compared to their wild-type counterparts. Microarray analysis revealed that Akt1 deficiency resulted in several altered gene expression changes and biological processes in adult mammary glands, including organismal development, cell death, and tissue morphology. Of particular importance, a significant decrease in expression of Btn1a1, a gene involved in milk lipid secretion, was observed in Akt1-/- mammary glands by both microarray and RT-PCR validation. Transcriptome analysis of Akt1 wild type and akt1-homozygous mouse mammary glands
Project description:Obesity enhances macrophage recruitment in to mammary adipose tissue and increases fibrosis. We isolated monocytes/macrophages and myeloid progenitor cell populations from the mammary gland and queried gene expression of fibrosis related genes to assess the contribution of each population to fibrosis within the mammary gland.