Project description:Tissue from cleared mammary fat pad and sham-operated controlateral control was removed before and at 10, 15,17, and 19 days of pregnancy. Cleared vs. controlateral tissue was hybridized in dye-swap design to in-house cDNA microarry platform. This design aims to identify factors signaling from the epithelial part of the mammary gland to the surrounding fat pad to initiate adipo-epithelial transdifferentiation.
Project description:Tissue from cleared mammary fat pad and sham-operated controlateral control was removed before and at 10, 15,17, and 19 days of pregnancy. Cleared vs. controlateral tissue was hybridized in dye-swap design to in-house cDNA microarry platform. This design aims to identify factors signaling from the epithelial part of the mammary gland to the surrounding fat pad to initiate adipo-epithelial transdifferentiation. We surgically removed the epithelial part of the 4th mammary gland (including the nipple and the rudimentary ductal tree) in three weeks old CD1 mice where the ductal anlage is confined to the proximal part of the mammary fat pad close to the nipple. The controlateral gland was sham-operated as control. This leaves a cleared mammary fat pad in its endogenous environment. The dissected tissues were subjected to whole mount analysis to judge if the removal of epithelial tissue was complete. At the age of 10 to 15 weeks the tissues were harvested before and 10, 15, 17, and 19 days after the start of pregnancy. RNA from cleared fat pads were compared to sham-operated contralateral controls by competitive hybridization on two-channel microarrays. If enough material was available three different pools of RNA (= three biological replicates) were used for hybridization (from d19 material only two replicates were obtained) in a dye-swap configuraiton (one biological replicate of d17 and d19 samples did not provide sufficient amount for a dyw-swap pair).
Project description:The mammary gland develops mainly postnatally, when during pregnancy the epithelium grows out into the mammary fat pad and forms a network of epithelial ducts. During pregnancy, these ducts branch and bud to form alveoli. These alveoli produce the milk during lactation. After 7 days of lactation, involution was induced by force weaning the pups. The newly formed epithelium undergoes apoptosis and is removed from the tissue by neighbouring epithelial cells. Tissue remodelling leads to a morphology resembling a gland of a pre-pregnant mouse. Microarray analysis was used to measure mRNA expression of genes during puberty, pregnancy, lactation and involution in a Balb/c mouse strain. Keywords: developmental time course
Project description:By transplanting mammary cells into the mammary fat pad in vitro to regenerate the whole mammary gland, we can study the interaction between mammary epithelial cells at single cell level
Project description:The mammary gland develops mainly postnatally, when during pregnancy the epithelium grows out into the mammary fat pad and forms a network of epithelial ducts. During pregnancy, these ducts branch and bud to form alveoli. These alveoli produce the milk during lactation. After 7 days of lactation, involution was induced by force weaning the pups. The newly formed epithelium undergoes apoptosis and is removed from the tissue by neighbouring epithelial cells. Tissue remodelling leads to a morphology resembling a gland of a pre-pregnant mouse. Microarray analysis was used to measure mRNA expression of genes during puberty, pregnancy, lactation and involution in a Balb/c mouse strain. Experiment Overall Design: Total RNA was extracted from the 4th (inguinal) gland after removal of the lymph node. Individual samples represent RNA from one gland of one mouse. Samples were taken in triplicate (i.e. three mice per triplicate) for 18 time points of development.
Project description:Analysis of factors upregulated in highly aggressive 410.4 and 4T1 tumour cells compared to the less aggressive 4T07 tumour cells at gene expression level. The question addressed in the present study was which secreted factors are differentially expressed by these cells and therefore could account for the observed difference in fibroblast activation in these tumours. Results provide important characterisation of the ex vivo expression profiles of highly aggressive vs. non-aggressive tumour cells. 4T07, 410.4 or 4T1 cells were inoculated into the mammary fat pad of Ub-GFP mice and total RNA from FACSorted GFP-negative; CD45-negative tumour cells was isolated.
Project description:Direct transcriptomics comparison corroborated by functional and gene network analyses of pre-weaned bovine mammary parenchyma and fat pad shed light on potential cross-talk between these developing tissues. Transcriptomic characterization of mammary parenchyma and fat pad and their interaction is still incomplete. In the present experiment, the molecular epithelial-fat pad cross-talk during mammary development was assessed by transcript profiling and functional analyses. Background: Interactions between bovine mammary parenchyma (PAR) and fat pad (MFP) during neonatal tissue development are still not fully understood. It is thought that the MFP surrounding the parenchymal tissue exerts proliferative effects on the PAR through secretion of local modulators of growth induced by systemic hormones. Main objectives in the present study were to use bioinformatics tools to characterize differences in transcript profiles between mammary PAR and MFP from Holstein heifers at ca. 65 d age and uncover potential cross-talk between the two tissues via the analyses of signaling molecules (e.g., cytokines and growth factors) preferentially expressed in one tissue relative to the other. Results: Over 9,000 differentially expressed genes (DEG; False discovery rate ≤ 0.05) were found of which 1,478 had a ≥1.5-fold difference. Within these DEG in PAR vs. MFP (n = 736) we noted enrichment of functions related to cell cycle, structural organization, signaling, and DNA/RNA metabolism. Few canonical pathways were among DEG and were mostly involved in cell cycle and tissue organization (p53 signaling). Enriched among DEG more highly-expressed in MFP vs. PAR (n = 742) were genes involved in lipid metabolism, signaling, cell movement, and immune-related functions. Canonical pathways associated with metabolism (fatty acid metabolism) and signaling, particularly immune- (acute phase response) and metabolism-related (cAMP signaling), were significantly enriched. Network analysis uncovered a central role of MYC, TP53, and CTNNB1 in controlling expression of DEG highly-expressed in PAR vs. MFP. Similar analysis revealed a central role of PPARG, KLF2, EGR2, and EPAS1 in regulating expression of highly-expressed DEG in MFP vs. PAR. Analyses revealed putative crosstalk between tissues via differential expression of cytokines and growth factors highly-expressed in PAR (angiopoietin-1, osteopontin, interleukin-1β) or in MFP (adiponectin, interleukin-13, fibroblast growth factor-2, leptin) during bovine mammary development. Conclusions: We uncovered specific transcriptomic signatures characterizing MFP and PAR tissue. Not surprisingly, the expression profile of the MFP is characteristic of adipose tissue, and the one of PAR is characteristic of an epithelial tissue undergoing expansion and remodeling. Overall, our data highlighted a large degree of interaction between the two tissues and allowed envisaging a reciprocal influence in determining the biological features (and perhaps the fate) of each of the two tissues during this stage of development. This is strongly suggested by the potential effect that the signaling molecules released preferentially by PAR have on lipid metabolism-related pathways, which from our data was what most distinguished the MFP from PAR. Similarly, the cytokines and growth factors largely expressed in MFP potentially affect the pathways related to cell cycle, development, and proliferation in PAR, which our data highlighted as the main functions represented among the genes highly expressed in PAR vs. MFP. Based on the current analysis, the number of cytokines and growth factors that potentially are secreted by each tissue and affect molecules in the other underscores the concept of crosstalk. Ultimately, these bidirectional interactions might be required to coordinate mammary tissue development under normal circumstances or in response to environmental stimuli, such as nutrition.
Project description:In order to identify transciptomic changes of endothelial cells (Ecs) in response to STING activation, endothelial cells were soted using FACS and RNA-seq was performed. We compared ECs from 3 models; normal mammary fat pad, MMTV-PyMT spontaneous breast tumor, implanted breast tumor. Tumor cells derived from MMTV-PyMT spontaneous breast tumor were expanded on culture and implanted in mammary fat pad of female FVB mice to establish implanted breast tumor model.
Project description:Stat1-null mice (129S6/SvEvTac-Stat1tm1Rds homozygous) uniquely develop estrogen-receptor-positive mammary tumors with incomplete penetrance and long latency. We studied the growth and development of the mammary glands in Stat1-null mice. Stat1-null MGs have faulty branching morphogenesis with abnormal terminal end buds. The Stat1-null MG also fails to sustain growth of 129S6/SvEv wild-type and null epithelium. These abnormalities are partially reversed by added progesterone and prolactin. Transplantation of wild-type bone-marrow into Stat1-null mice does not reverse the mammary gland developmental defects. Media conditioned by Stat1-null epithelium-cleared mammary fat pads does not stimulate epithelial proliferation whereas it is stimulated by conditioned media derived from either wild-type or progesterone and prolactin-treated Stat1-null epithelium-cleared mammary fat pads. Microarrays and multiplex cytokine protein assays showed that the mammary gland of Stat1-null mice had lower levels of growth factors that have been implicated in normal mammary gland growth and development. Transplanted Stat1-null tumors and their isolated cells also grow slower in Stat1-null mammary gland compared to wild-type recipient mammary gland. Stat1-null hosts responded to tumor transplants with granulocytic infiltrates while wild-type hosts show a mononuclear response. These studies demonstrate that growth of normal and neoplastic Stat1-null epithelium primarily depends on the hormonal milieu and factors, such as cytokines, from the mammary stroma. Stat1-null mammary glands were compared to 129SvEv WT mammary glands with respect to development, gene expression profiles, growth factors and histology.