scholarly journals Characterization of Gene Expression Signatures for the Identification of Cellular Heterogeneity in the Developing Mammary Gland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Henry ◽  
Marygrace C. Trousdell ◽  
Samantha L. Cyrill ◽  
Yixin Zhao ◽  
Mary. J. Feigman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Cellular Heterogeneity ◽  
Molecular Signatures ◽  
Mammary Cells ◽  
Human Breast

AbstractThe developing mammary gland depends on several transcription-dependent networks to define cellular identities and differentiation trajectories. Recent technological advancements that allow for single-cell profiling of gene expression have provided an initial picture into the epithelial cellular heterogeneity across the diverse stages of gland maturation. Still, a deeper dive into expanded molecular signatures would improve our understanding of the diversity of mammary epithelial and non-epithelial cellular populations across different tissue developmental stages, mouse strains and mammalian species. Here, we combined differential mammary gland fractionation approaches and transcriptional profiles obtained from FACS-isolated mammary cells to improve our definitions of mammary-resident, cellular identities at the single-cell level. Our approach yielded a series of expression signatures that illustrate the heterogeneity of mammary epithelial cells, specifically those of the luminal fate, and uncovered transcriptional changes to their lineage-defined, cellular states that are induced during gland development. Our analysis also provided molecular signatures that identified non-epithelial mammary cells, including adipocytes, fibroblasts and rare immune cells. Lastly, we extended our study to elucidate expression signatures of human, breast-resident cells, a strategy that allowed for the cross-species comparison of mammary epithelial identities. Collectively, our approach improved the existing signatures of normal mammary epithelial cells, as well as elucidated the diversity of non-epithelial cells in murine and human breast tissue. Our study provides a useful resource for future studies that use single-cell molecular profiling strategies to understand normal and malignant breast development.

scholarly journals Evidence of Rab3A Expression, Regulation of Vesicle Trafficking, and Cellular Secretion in Response to Heregulin in Mammary Epithelial Cells

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 9092-9101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratna K. Vadlamudi ◽  
Rui-An Wang ◽  
Amjad H. Talukder ◽  
Liana Adam ◽  
Randy Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Vesicle Trafficking ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Coated Vesicle ◽  
Human Breast ◽  
Breast Epithelial Cells ◽  
Breast Epithelial ◽  
Stimulation Of

ABSTRACT Heregulin β1 (HRG), a combinatorial ligand for human growth factor receptors 3 and 4, is a regulatory polypeptide that promotes the differentiation of mammary epithelial cells into secretory lobuloalveoli. Emerging evidence suggests that the processes of secretory pathways, such as biogenesis and trafficking of vesicles in neurons and adipose cells, are regulated by the Rab family of low-molecular-weight GTPases. In this study, we identified Rab3A as a gene product induced by HRG. Full-length Rab3A was cloned from a mammary gland cDNA library. We demonstrated that HRG stimulation of human breast cancer cells and normal breast epithelial cells induces the expression of Rab3A protein and mRNA in a cycloheximide-independent manner. HRG-mediated induction of Rab3A expression was blocked by an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase but not by inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinases p38MAPK and p42/44MAPK. Human breast epithelial cells also express other components of regulated vesicular traffic, such as rabphilin 3A, Doc2, and syntaxin. Rab3A was predominantly localized in the cytosol, and HRG stimulation of the epithelial cells also raised the level of membrane-bound Rab3A. HRG treatment induced a profound alteration in the cell morphology in which cells displayed neuron-like membrane extensions that contained Rab3A-coated, vesicle-like structures. In addition, HRG also promoted the secretion of cellular proteins from the mammary epithelial cells. The ability of HRG to modify exocytosis was verified by using a growth hormone transient-transfection system. Analysis of mouse mammary gland development revealed the expression of Rab3A in mammary epithelial cells. Furthermore, expression of the HRG transgene in Harderian tumors in mice also enhanced the expression of Rab3A. These observations provide new evidence of the existence of a Rab3A pathway in mammary epithelial cells and suggest that it may play a role in vesicle trafficking and secretion of proteins from epithelial cells in response to stimulation by the HRG expressed within the mammary mesenchyma.

Gene expression and hormonal regulation of adiponectin and its receptors in bovine mammary gland and mammary epithelial cells

2010 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihisa OHTANI ◽  
Tomo YONEZAWA ◽  
Sang-Houn SONG ◽  
Tatsuyuki TAKAHASHI ◽  
Astrid ARDIYANTI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Bovine Mammary Gland

Milk fat globule is an alternative to mammary epithelial cells for gene expression analysis in buffalo

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuming Chen ◽  
Yanjun Wu ◽  
Mingyuan Zhang ◽  
Wenwen Xu ◽  
Xiaoping Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Expression Analysis ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Gene Expression Analysis ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Milk Fat Globule ◽  
Fat Globule

Owing to the difficulty in obtaining mammary gland tissue from lactating animals, it is difficult to test the expression levels of genes in mammary gland. The aim of the current study was to identify if milk fat globule (MFG) in buffalo milk was an alternative to mammary gland (MG) and milk somatic cell (MSC) for gene expression analysis. Six buffalos in late lactation were selected to collect MFG and MSC, and then MG was obtained by surgery. MFG was stained with acridine orange to successfully visualise RNA and several cytoplasmic crescents in MFG. The total RNA in MFG was successfully isolated and the integrity was assessed by agarose gel electrophoresis. We analysed the cellular components in MFG, MG and MSC through testing the expression of cell-specific genes by qRT-PCR. The results showed that adipocyte-specific gene (AdipoQ) and leucocyte-specific genes (CD43, CSF1 and IL1α) in MFG were not detected, whereas epithelial cell marker genes (Keratin 8 and Keratin 18) in MFG were higher than in MSC and lower than in MG, fibroblast marker gene (vimentin) in MFG was significantly lower than in MG and MSC, milk protein genes (LALBA, BLG and CSN2) and milk fat synthesis-related genes (ACC, BTN1A1, FABP3 and FAS) in MFG were higher than in MG and MSC. In conclusion, the total RNA in MFG mainly derives from mammary epithelial cells and can be used to study the functional gene expression of mammary epithelial cells.

scholarly journals Single-cell RNA sequencing of freshly isolated bovine milk cells and cultured primary mammary epithelial cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doreen Becker ◽  
Rosemarie Weikard ◽  
Frieder Hadlich ◽  
Christa Kühn
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Bovine Milk ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Mammary Tissue ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Cell Composition

AbstractBovine mammary function at molecular level is often studied using mammary tissue or primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (pbMECs). However, bulk tissue and primary cells are heterogeneous with respect to cell populations, adding further transcriptional variation in addition to genetic background. Thus, understanding of the variation in gene expression profiles of cell populations and their effect on function are limited. To investigate the mononuclear cell composition in bovine milk, we analyzed a single-cell suspension from a milk sample. Additionally, we harvested cultured pbMECs to characterize gene expression in a homogeneous cell population. Using the Drop-seq technology, we generated single-cell RNA datasets of somatic milk cells and pbMECs. The final datasets after quality control filtering contained 7,119 and 10,549 cells, respectively. The pbMECs formed 14 indefinite clusters displaying intrapopulation heterogeneity, whereas the milk cells formed 14 more distinct clusters. Our datasets constitute a molecular cell atlas that provides a basis for future studies of milk cell composition and gene expression, and could serve as reference datasets for milk cell analysis.

scholarly journals TRPV4 Increases the Expression of Tight Junction Protein-Encoding Genes via XBP1 in Mammary Epithelial Cells

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1174
Author(s):  
Md Aminul Islam ◽  
Moeko Mizusawa ◽  
Mst Mamuna Sharmin ◽  
Satoko Hayashi ◽  
Shinichi Yonekura
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Heat Treatment ◽  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Transcript Level ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Mild Heat ◽  
Protein Encoding

Mild heat stress (39 °C–40 °C) can positively regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Indeed, mild heat treatment at 39 °C enhances the less-permeable tight junctions (TJs) formation and milk production in mammary epithelial cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of this response have not yet been delineated. In this study, the involvement of temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) in the increase of β-casein and TJ protein-encoding gene expression in response to mild heat treatment (39 °C) has been explored using HCll mouse mammary epithelial cells. Severe heat treatment (41 °C) induced the transcriptional level of Chop (C/EBP homologous protein; proapoptotic marker) and reduced the cell viability. It is speculated that the difference in unfolded protein response (UPR) gene expression upon stimulation at 39 °C vs. 41 °C controls cell survival vs. cell death. The accumulation of Trpv4 mRNA was significantly higher in 39 °C heat treatment cells. The β-casein, Zo-1 (zona occludens-1), Ocln (occludin), and Cldn3 (claudin 3) transcript levels were significantly increased in response to the addition of a selective TRPV4 channel agonist (GSK1016790A) at 37 °C. TRPV4 stimulation with GSK1016790A also increased the X-box-binding protein 1 splicing form (Xbp1s) at the transcript level. The increase in the mRNA levels of β-casein, Zo-1, Ocln, and Cldn3 in response to 39 °C heat treatment was suppressed by XBP1 knockdown. Moreover, the transcript level of Trpv4 was significantly increased at Day 15 of gestation, and its expression declined after 1 day of lactation. TRPV4 is activated not only by temperature but also by mechanical forces, such as cell stretching and shear stress, which guide mammary epithelial development in a normal mammary gland. These findings provide new insights of the possible function of TRPV4 in mammary gland development.

scholarly journals Single cell transcriptome atlas of mouse mammary epithelial cells across development

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhupinder Pal ◽  
Yunshun Chen ◽  
Michael J. G. Milevskiy ◽  
François Vaillant ◽  
Lexie Prokopuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Mammary Epithelial Cells ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Chromatin Accessibility ◽  
Mammary Epithelial ◽  
Cell Transcriptome ◽  
Single Cell Transcriptome

Abstract Background Heterogeneity within the mouse mammary epithelium and potential lineage relationships have been recently explored by single-cell RNA profiling. To further understand how cellular diversity changes during mammary ontogeny, we profiled single cells from nine different developmental stages spanning late embryogenesis, early postnatal, prepuberty, adult, mid-pregnancy, late-pregnancy, and post-involution, as well as the transcriptomes of micro-dissected terminal end buds (TEBs) and subtending ducts during puberty. Methods The single cell transcriptomes of 132,599 mammary epithelial cells from 9 different developmental stages were determined on the 10x Genomics Chromium platform, and integrative analyses were performed to compare specific time points. Results The mammary rudiment at E18.5 closely aligned with the basal lineage, while prepubertal epithelial cells exhibited lineage segregation but to a less differentiated state than their adult counterparts. Comparison of micro-dissected TEBs versus ducts showed that luminal cells within TEBs harbored intermediate expression profiles. Ductal basal cells exhibited increased chromatin accessibility of luminal genes compared to their TEB counterparts suggesting that lineage-specific chromatin is established within the subtending ducts during puberty. An integrative analysis of five stages spanning the pregnancy cycle revealed distinct stage-specific profiles and the presence of cycling basal, mixed-lineage, and 'late' alveolar intermediates in pregnancy. Moreover, a number of intermediates were uncovered along the basal-luminal progenitor cell axis, suggesting a continuum of alveolar-restricted progenitor states. Conclusions This extended single cell transcriptome atlas of mouse mammary epithelial cells provides the most complete coverage for mammary epithelial cells during morphogenesis to date. Together with chromatin accessibility analysis of TEB structures, it represents a valuable framework for understanding developmental decisions within the mouse mammary gland.

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