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Kobayashi K. Culture Models to Investigate Mechanisms of Milk Production and Blood-Milk Barrier in Mammary Epithelial Cells: a Review and a Protocol. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2023; 28:8. [PMID: 37126158 PMCID: PMC10151314 DOI: 10.1007/s10911-023-09536-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammary epithelial cells (MECs) are the only cell type that produces milk during lactation. MECs also form less-permeable tight junctions (TJs) to prevent the leakage of milk and blood components through the paracellular pathway (blood-milk barrier). Multiple factors that include hormones, cytokines, nutrition, and temperature regulate milk production and TJ formation in MECs. Multiple intracellular signaling pathways that positively and negatively regulate milk production and TJ formation have been reported. However, their regulatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In addition, unidentified components that regulate milk production in MECs likely exist in foods, for example plants. Culture models of functional MECs that recapitulate milk production and TJs are useful tools for their study. Such models enable the elimination of indirect effects via cells other than MECs and allows for more detailed experimental conditions. However, culture models of MECs with inappropriate functionality may result in unphysiological reactions that never occur in lactating mammary glands in vivo. Here, I briefly review the physiological functions of alveolar MECs during lactation in vivo and culture models of MECs that feature milk production and less-permeable TJs, together with a protocol for establishment of MEC culture with functional TJ barrier and milk production capability using cell culture inserts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Biology, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, North 9, West 9, Sapporo, 060-8589, Japan.
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IL-4 and IL-13 Promote Proliferation of Mammary Epithelial Cells through STAT6 and IRS-1. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222112008. [PMID: 34769439 PMCID: PMC8584551 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222112008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
T helper (Th)2 cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 control immune function by acting on leukocytes. They also regulate multiple responses in non-hematopoietic cells. During pregnancy, IL-4 and IL-13 facilitate alveologenesis of mammary glands. This particular morphogenesis generates alveoli from existing ducts and requires substantial cell proliferation. Using 3D cultures of primary mouse mammary epithelial cells, we demonstrate that IL-4 and IL-13 promote cell proliferation, leading to enlargement of mammary acini with partially filled lumens. The mitogenic effects of IL-4 and IL-13 are mediated by STAT6 as inhibition of STAT6 suppresses cell proliferation and improves lumen formation. In addition, IL-4 and IL-13 stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1). Prolonged treatment with these cytokines leads to increased IRS-1 abundance, which, in turn, amplifies IL-4- and IL-13-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. Through signaling crosstalk between IL-4/IL-13 and insulin, a hormone routinely included in mammary cultures, IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation is further enhanced. Lowering IRS-1 expression reduces cell proliferation, suggesting that IRS-1 is involved in IL-4- and IL-13-stimulated cell proliferation. Thus, a Th2-dominant cytokine milieu during pregnancy confers mammary gland development by promoting cell proliferation.
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Integrin-mediated adhesion and mechanosensing in the mammary gland. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 114:113-125. [PMID: 33187835 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The mammary gland is dynamically remodelled during its postnatal development and the reproductive cycles. This inherent plasticity has been suggested to increase the susceptibility of the organ to carcinogenesis. Morphological changes in the mammary epithelium involve cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and migration which, in turn, are affected by cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Integrin adhesion receptors function in the sensing of the biochemical composition, patterning and mechanical properties of the ECM surrounding the cells, and strongly influence cell fate. This review aims to summarize the existing literature on how different aspects of integrin-mediated adhesion and mechanosensing, including ECM composition; stiffness and topography; integrin expression patterns; focal adhesion assembly; dynamic regulation of the actin cytoskeleton; and nuclear mechanotransduction affect mammary gland development, function and homeostasis. As the mechanical properties of a complex tissue environment are challenging to replicate in vitro, emphasis has been placed on studies conducted in vivo or using organoid models. Outright, these studies indicate that mechanosensing also contributes to the regulation of mammary gland morphogenesis in multiple ways.
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Søgaard PP, Ito N, Sato N, Fujita Y, Matter K, Itoh Y. Epithelial polarization in 3D matrix requires DDR1 signaling to regulate actomyosin contractility. Life Sci Alliance 2019; 2:2/1/e201800276. [PMID: 30760555 PMCID: PMC6374992 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201800276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
For epithelial cells to establish epithelial polarity in a 3D matrix, signaling of a collagen receptor tyrosine kinase, DDR1, plays a crucial role. DDR1 signaling controls actomyosin contractility at the cell–cell junction through suppression of ROCK activity. Epithelial cells form sheets and tubules in various epithelial organs and establish apicobasal polarity and asymmetric vesicle transport to provide functionality in these structures. However, the molecular mechanisms that allow epithelial cells to establish polarity are not clearly understood. Here, we present evidence that the kinase activity of the receptor tyrosine kinase for collagen, discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), is required for efficient establishment of epithelial polarity, proper asymmetric protein secretion, and execution of morphogenic programs. Lack of DDR1 protein or inhibition of DDR1 kinase activity disturbed tubulogenesis, cystogenesis, and the establishment of epithelial polarity and caused defects in the polarized localization of membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), GP135, primary cilia, laminin, and the Golgi apparatus. Disturbed epithelial polarity and cystogenesis upon DDR1 inhibition was caused by excess ROCK (rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase)-driven actomyosin contractility, and pharmacological inhibition of ROCK was sufficient to correct these defects. Our data indicate that a DDR1-ROCK signaling axis is essential for the efficient establishment of epithelial polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Noriko Ito
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nanami Sato
- Institute for Genetic Medicine, Division of Molecular Oncology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Fujita
- Institute for Genetic Medicine, Division of Molecular Oncology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Karl Matter
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yoshifumi Itoh
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Barcus CE, Keely PJ, Eliceiri KW, Schuler LA. Prolactin signaling through focal adhesion complexes is amplified by stiff extracellular matrices in breast cancer cells. Oncotarget 2018; 7:48093-48106. [PMID: 27344177 PMCID: PMC5217003 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen receptor α positive (ERα+) breast cancer accounts for most breast cancer deaths. Both prolactin (PRL) and extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness/density have been implicated in metastatic progression of this disease. We previously demonstrated that these factors cooperate to fuel processes involved in cancer progression. Culture of ERα+ breast cancer cells in dense/stiff 3D collagen-I matrices shifts the repertoire of PRL signals, and increases crosstalk between PRL and estrogen to promote proliferation and invasion. However, previous work did not distinguish ECM stiffness and collagen density. In order to dissect the ECM features that control PRL signals, we cultured T47D and MCF-7 cells on polyacrylamide hydrogels of varying elastic moduli (stiffness) with varying collagen-I concentrations (ligand density). Increasing stiffness from physiological to pathological significantly augmented PRL-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and the SFK target, FAK-Y925, with only modest effects on pSTAT5. In contrast, higher collagen-I ligand density lowered PRL-induced pSTAT5 with no effect on pERK1/2 or pFAK-Y925. Disrupting focal adhesion signaling decreased PRL signals and PRL/estrogen-induced proliferation more efficiently in stiff, compared to compliant, extracellular environments. These data indicate that matrix stiffness shifts the balance of PRL signals from physiological (JAK2/STAT5) to pathological (FAK/SFK/ERK1/2) by increasing PRL signals through focal adhesions. Together, our studies suggest that PRL signaling to FAK and SFKs may be useful targets in clinical aggressive ERα+ breast carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig E Barcus
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Patricia J Keely
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Kevin W Eliceiri
- Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Linda A Schuler
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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6
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Carey SP, Martin KE, Reinhart-King CA. Three-dimensional collagen matrix induces a mechanosensitive invasive epithelial phenotype. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42088. [PMID: 28186196 PMCID: PMC5301232 DOI: 10.1038/srep42088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A critical step in breast cancer progression is local tissue invasion, during which cells pass from the epithelial compartment to the stromal compartment. We recently showed that malignant leader cells can promote the invasion of otherwise non-invasive epithelial follower cells, but the effects of this induced-invasion phenomenon on follower cell phenotype remain unclear. Notably, this process can expose epithelial cells to the stromal extracellular matrix (ECM), which is distinct from the ECM within the normal epithelial microenvironment. Here, we used a 3D epithelial morphogenesis model in which cells were cultured in biochemically and mechanically defined matrices to examine matrix-mediated gene expression and the associated phenotypic response. We found that 3D collagen matrix promoted expression of mesenchymal genes including MT1-MMP, which was required for collagen-stimulated invasive behavior. Epithelial invasion required matrix anchorage as well as signaling through Src, PI3K, and Rac1, and increasingly stiff collagen promoted dispersive epithelial cell invasion. These results suggest that leader cell-facilitated access to the stromal ECM may trigger an invasive phenotype in follower epithelial cells that could enable them to actively participate in local tissue invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn P Carey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Karen E Martin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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Irianto J, Pfeifer CR, Ivanovska IL, Swift J, Discher DE. Nuclear lamins in cancer. Cell Mol Bioeng 2016; 9:258-267. [PMID: 27570565 PMCID: PMC4999255 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-016-0437-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysmorphic nuclei are commonly seen in cancers and provide strong motivation for studying the main structural proteins of nuclei, the lamins, in cancer. Past studies have also demonstrated the significance of microenvironment mechanics to cancer progression, which is extremely interesting because the lamina was recently shown to be mechanosensitive. Here, we review current knowledge relating cancer progression to lamina biophysics. Lamin levels can constrain cancer cell migration in 3D and thereby impede tumor growth, and lamins can also protect a cancer cell's genome. In addition, lamins can influence transcriptional regulators (RAR, SRF, YAP/TAZ) and chromosome conformation in lamina associated domains. Further investigation of the roles for lamins in cancer and even DNA damage may lead to new therapies or at least to a clearer understanding of lamins as bio-markers in cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerome Irianto
- Molecular and Cell Biophysics Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Charlotte R. Pfeifer
- Molecular and Cell Biophysics Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Irena L. Ivanovska
- Molecular and Cell Biophysics Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Joe Swift
- Molecular and Cell Biophysics Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Dennis E. Discher
- Molecular and Cell Biophysics Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Wang JH, Du JY, Wu YY, Chen MC, Huang CH, Shen HJ, Lee CF, Lin TH, Lee YJ. Suppression of prolactin signaling by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate is alleviated by N-acetylcysteine in mammary epithelial cells. Eur J Pharmacol 2014; 738:301-9. [PMID: 24952131 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2014.05.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Prolactin is the key hormone to stimulate milk synthesis in mammary epithelial cells. It signals through the Jak2-Stat5 pathway to induce the expression of β-casein, a milk protein which is often used as a marker for mammary differentiation. Here we examined the effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on prolactin signaling. Our results show that PDTC downregulates prolactin receptor levels, and inhibits prolactin-induced Stat5 tyrosine phosphorylation and β-casein expression. This is not due to its inhibitory action on NF-κB since application of another NF-κB inhibitor, BAY 11-7082, and overexpression of I-κBα super-repressor do not lead to the same results. Instead, the pro-oxidant activity of PDTC is involved as inclusion of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine restores prolactin signaling. PDTC triggers great extents of activation of ERK and JNK in mammary epithelial cells. These do not cause suppression of prolactin signaling but confer serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1, thereby perturbing insulin signal propagation. As insulin facilitates optimal β-casein expression, blocking insulin signaling by PDTC might pose additional impediment to β-casein expression. Our results thus imply that lactation will be compromised when the cellular redox balance is dysregulated, such as during mastitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen-Hsing Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Antai Tian-Sheng Memorial Hospital, Pingtung 928, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Jyun-Yi Du
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yi-Ying Wu
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, China Medical University and Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Meng-Chi Chen
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chun-Hao Huang
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hsin-Ju Shen
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chin-Feng Lee
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ting-Hui Lin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yi-Ju Lee
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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Glukhova MA, Streuli CH. How integrins control breast biology. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2013; 25:633-41. [PMID: 23886475 PMCID: PMC3807876 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2013.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This article explores new ideas about how the ECM-integrin axis controls normal and malignant breast biology. We discuss the role of integrins in mammary stem cells, and how cell-matrix interactions regulate ductal and alveolar development and function. We also examine the contribution of integrins to tissue disorganisation and metastasis, and how an altered stromal and ECM tumour microenvironment affects the cancer cell niche both within primary tumours and at distant sites. Finally, we mention novel strategies for integrin-directed breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A Glukhova
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
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Barcus CE, Keely PJ, Eliceiri KW, Schuler LA. Stiff collagen matrices increase tumorigenic prolactin signaling in breast cancer cells. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:12722-32. [PMID: 23530035 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.447631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinically, circulating prolactin levels and density of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are individual risk factors for breast cancer. As tumors develop, the surrounding stroma responds with increased deposition and cross-linking of the collagen matrix (desmoplasia). In mouse models, prolactin promotes mammary carcinomas that resemble luminal breast cancers in women, and increased collagen density promotes tumor metastasis and progression. Although the contributions of the ECM to the physiologic actions of prolactin are increasingly understood, little is known about the functional relationship between the ECM and prolactin signaling in breast cancer. Here, we examined consequences of increased ECM stiffness on prolactin signals to luminal breast cancer cells in three-dimensional collagen I matrices in vitro. We showed that matrix stiffness potently regulates a switch in prolactin signals from physiologic to protumorigenic outcomes. Compliant matrices promoted physiological prolactin actions and activation of STAT5, whereas stiff matrices promoted protumorigenic outcomes, including increased matrix metalloproteinase-dependent invasion and collagen scaffold realignment. In stiff matrices, prolactin increased SRC family kinase-dependent phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) at tyrosine 925, FAK association with the mitogen-activated protein kinase mediator GRB2, and pERK1/2. Stiff matrices also increased co-localization of prolactin receptors and integrin-activated FAK, implicating altered spatial relationships. Together, these results demonstrate that ECM stiffness is a powerful regulator of the spectrum of prolactin signals and that stiff matrices and prolactin interact in a feed-forward loop in breast cancer progression. Our study is the first reported evidence of altered ECM-prolactin interactions in breast cancer, suggesting the potential for new therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig E Barcus
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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