Preparation and characterization of the inner coat material associated with fat globule membranes from bovine and human milk

Mammary lipid secretion: a reassessment

Mammary lipid secretion is generally held to be unique and remarkably uniform between the many different orders of mammals. It produces a unit membrane-bounded milk fat globule (MFG). The unit membrane is separated from the lipoprotein boundary of what was the cytoplasmic lipid droplet (CLD) boundary by a uniform layer of cytoplasmic proteins. In 3-8% of the MFG in all species examined this cytoplasmic layer widens to include cytoplasmic organelles which are referred to as 'crescents'. This defines the MFG secretion as apocrine indicating a closely regulated process which minimises the loss of mammary epithelial cell (MEC) cytoplasm. The apocrine nature of the secretion might be expected since the evolution of the mammary gland is considered to be from an apocrine secreting skin gland. This short Research Reflection review is designed to investigate the exact cytoplasmic interactions which allow such efficient lipid secretion. There are two main scenarios: one which assumes that the observed close association between CLD and GV results in the CLD being released as a consequence of sequential exocytosis of the content of the associated GV. The second assumes that the CLD and the MEC apical plasmalemma interact in some way which causes the CLD to rise out of the cytoplasm enveloped in the plasmalemma. Here I present the evidence for the two possibilities. The first scenario is favoured, but the second cannot be ruled out.

Symposium review: Intravital imaging of the lactating mammary gland in live mice reveals novel aspects of milk-lipid secretion

Milk fat comprises membrane-coated droplets of neutral lipid, which constitute the predominant source of lipids for survival of the suckling neonate. From the perspective of the dairy industry, they are the basis for the manufacture of butter and essential ingredients in the production of cheese, yogurt, and specialty dairy produce. To provide mechanistic insight into the assembly and secretion of lipid droplets during lactation, we developed novel intravital imaging techniques using transgenic mice, which express fluorescently tagged marker proteins. The number 4 mammary glands were surgically prepared under a deep plane of anesthesia and the exposed glands positioned as a skin flap with intact vascular supply on the stage of a laser-scanning confocal microscope. Lipid droplets were stained by prior exposure of the glands to hydrophobic fluorescent BODIPY (boron-dipyrromethene) dyes and their formation and secretion monitored by time-lapse subcellular microscopy over periods of 1 to 2 h. Droplets were transported to the cell apex by directed (superdiffusive) motion at relatively slow and intermittent rates (0-2 µm/min). Regardless of size, droplets grew by numerous fusion events during transport and as they were budding from the cell enveloped by apical membranes. Surprisingly, droplet secretion was not constitutive but required an injection of oxytocin to induce contraction of the myoepithelium with subsequent release of droplets into luminal spaces. These novel results are discussed in the context of the current paradigm for milk fat synthesis and secretion and as a template for future innovations in the dairy industry.

Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical evidence for the reorganisation of the milk fat globule membrane after secretion

This paper reports a detailed ultrastructural and immunocytochemical investigation of the structure of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) in a variety of species. The process follows the same pattern in all mammals so far investigated. The initial (or primary) MFGM immediately on release from the mammary cell is a continuous unit membrane with a thin underlying layer of cytoplasmic origin and a monolayer of phospholipid separating it from the core lipid. This structure changes rapidly as the milk fat globule (MFG) moves into the alveolar lumen. The unit membrane plus the underlying layer of cytoplasm modifies drastically into discontinuous patches and networks. These are superimposed upon a continuous apparently structureless sheet of electron dense material stabilising the MFG and similar to that which bounded the lipid in the cell. The underlying layer of the patches increases in electron density and immunocytochemistry demonstrates localisation of MFGM proteins in this layer. In four species, the dense material shows ordered paracrystalline molecular arrays in section and en face views. All the arrays show the same basic pattern and unit size as determined by optical diffraction. Similar patches, networks and arrays are present on the surface of expressed MFG. Negative staining of lipid-extracted expressed MFGs shows similar patches and networks of membrane. These also occasionally show the crystalline arrays and label with MFGM protein antibodies. Similar networks and strands of plasma membrane on the MFG surface are shown by our CLSM examination of unfixed expressed MFG from mice genetically modified to express a fluorescent molecule as a normal plasma membrane constituent.

Bovine milk fat globule membrane proteins are affected by centrifugal washing processes

The impact of washing on the release of proteins from the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) was examined by applying washing procedures with different degrees of stringency to milk fat globule (MFG) surfaces in simulated milk ultrafiltrate buffer solution. Three washing methods, M1 (3000g, 5 min, three washes), M2 (3750g, 15 min, one wash), and M3 (15000g, 20 min, three washes) were chosen. MFG ζ-potential increased after M3 washing (P < 0.05), suggesting surface damage. For M1, in which the native MFG surface was least damaged, cluster of differentiation 36 (CD 36) and periodic acid schiff 6/7 proteins were more strongly bound to the MFGM compared with other major membrane proteins. For M3, CD 36 together with fatty acid-binding protein was more strongly bound to the MFGM. Washing by centrifugation and redispersal of the fat globules damaged the MFGM, with release into the aqueous phase of some membrane-associated proteins. The current results show the impact of washing processes on retention of functional MFGM proteins.

A test of current models for the mechanism of milk-lipid droplet secretion

Milk lipid is secreted by a unique process, during which triacylglycerol droplets bud from mammary cells coated with an outer bilayer of apical membrane. In all current schemes, the integral protein butyrophilin 1A1 (BTN) is postulated to serve as a transmembrane scaffold, which interacts either with itself or with the peripheral proteins, xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) and possibly perilipin-2 (PLIN2), to form an immobile bridging complex between the droplet and apical surface. In one such scheme, BTN on the surface of cytoplasmic lipid droplets interacts directly with BTN in the apical membrane without binding to either XOR or PLIN2. We tested these models using both biochemical and morphological approaches. BTN was concentrated in the apical membrane in all species examined and contained mature N-linked glycans. We found no evidence for the association of unprocessed BTN with intracellular lipid droplets. BTN-enhanced green fluorescent protein was highly mobile in areas of mouse milk-lipid droplets that had not undergone post-secretion changes, and endogenous mouse BTN comprised only 0.5-0.7% (w/w) of the total protein, i.e. over 50-fold less than in the milk-lipid droplets of cow and other species. These data are incompatible with models of milk-lipid secretion in which BTN is the major component of an immobile global adhesive complex and suggest that interactions between BTN and other proteins at the time of secretion are more transient than previously predicted. The high mobility of BTN in lipid droplets marks it as a potential mobile signaling molecule in milk.

The sheep milk fat globule membrane proteome

Milk fat globule membranes (MFGM) are three-layered structures that enclose fat droplets, and are composed by an internal monolayer of endoplasmic reticulum origin, surrounded by a bilayer derived from the apical membrane of the lactating cell. In this work, an optimized protein extraction method was applied to sheep MFGM, and extracts were subjected to SDS-PAGE separation followed by shotgun LC tandem mass spectrometry (GeLC-MS/MS) for identification and characterization. In total, 140 unique sheep MFGM proteins (MFGMPs) were identified. All protein identification data were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) classification for localization and function. Moreover, the relative abundance of all identified MFGMPs was estimated by means of the normalized spectral abundance factor (NSAF) approach, and GO abundance classes were obtained. The data gathered in this work provide a detailed picture of the proteome expressed in healthy sheep MFGs, and lay the foundations for future studies on sheep lactation physiology and on its alterations in pathological conditions.

Using confocal laser scanning microscopy to probe the milk fat globule membrane and associated proteins

The bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is an important, biologically relevant membrane due to its functional and health properties. Its composition has been thoroughly studied, but its structure, especially the lateral organization of its components, still remains unclear. We have used confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to investigate the surface structure of the MFGM in globules with different degrees of processing using two types of fluorescently labeled phospholipid probes and a protein dye. Using this technique, we have observed heterogeneities in the distribution of MFGM lipids and proteins relating to the processing and size of the globules. The effect of pretreating the milk (centrifugation, pasteurization-homogenization and churning) was studied by double-staining the surface of the milk fat globules, followed by observation using CLSM, and by determining the phospholipid profile of raw milk, raw cream, processed milk and buttermilk powder. Our findings agree with other techniques by showing that the composition of the MFGM changes with processing through the loss of phospholipids and the adsorption of caseins and whey proteins onto the surface.

Intracellular origin and secretion of milk fat globules

The cream or fat fraction of milk consists of fat droplets composed primarily of triacylglycerols that are surrounded by cellular membranes. In this review we discuss what is known about how these droplets are formed in and secreted by mammary epithelial cells during lactation. This secretion mechanism, which appears to be unique, is unlike the exocytotic mechanism used by other cell types to secrete lipids. Milk fat globules originate as small, triacylglycerol-rich, droplets that are formed on or in endoplasmic reticulum membranes. These droplets are released from endoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol as microlipid droplets coated by proteins and polar lipids. Microlipid droplets can fuse with each other to form larger cytoplasmic lipid droplets. Droplets of all sizes appear to be unidirectionally transported to apical cell regions by as yet unknown mechanisms that may involve cytoskeletal elements. These lipid droplets appear to be secreted from the cell in which they were formed by being progressively enveloped in differentiated regions of apical plasma membrane. While plasma membrane envelopment appears to be the primary mechanism by which lipid droplets are released from the cell, a mechanism involving exocytosis of lipid droplets from cytoplasmic vacuoles also has been described. As discussed herein, while we have a general overview of the steps leading to the fat globules of milk, virtually nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in milk fat globule formation, intracellular transit, and secretion.

The housekeeping gene xanthine oxidoreductase is necessary for milk fat droplet enveloping and secretion: gene sharing in the lactating mammary gland

Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is the rate-limiting enzyme in purine catabolism occurring in most cell types. However, this housekeeping gene is expressed at very high levels in a number of mammalian tissues including the lactating mammary epithelium, suggesting additional roles for XOR in these tissues. Mice with targeted disruption of XOR were generated to assess these potential additional roles. XOR-/- mice are runted and do not live beyond 6 wk of age. Strikingly, however, XOR+/- females, although of healthy appearance and normal fertility, are unable to maintain lactation and their pups die of starvation 2 wk postpartum. Histological and whole-mount analyses showed that in XOR+/- females the mammary epithelium collapses, resulting in premature involution of the mammary gland. Electron microscopy showed that XOR is specifically required for enveloping milk fat droplets with the apical plasma membrane prior to secretion from the lactating mammary gland. We present evidence that XOR may have primarily a structural role, as a membrane-associated protein, in milk fat droplet secretion and thus XOR provides another example of "gene sharing". About 5% of women experience primary lactation insufficiency. The above observations suggest that human females suffering from xanthinuria, a deficiency in XOR, are potential candidates for lactation problems.

A review and proposed nomenclature for major proteins of the milk-fat globule membrane

The characteristics and possible functions of the most abundant proteins associated with the bovine milk-fat globule membrane are reviewed. Under the auspices of the Milk Protein Nomenclature Committee of the ADSA, a revised nomenclature for the major membrane proteins is proposed and discussed in relation to earlier schemes. We recommend that proteins be assigned specific names as they are identified by molecular cloning and sequencing techniques. The practice of identifying proteins according to their Mr, electrophoretic mobility, or staining characteristics should be discontinued, except for uncharacterized proteins. The properties and amino acid sequences of the following proteins are discussed in detail: MUC1, xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase, CD36, butyrophilin, adipophilin, periodic acid Schiff 6/7 (PAS 6/7), and fatty acid binding protein. In addition, a compilation of less abundant proteins associated with the bovine milk-fat globule membrane is presented.

Origin and secretion of milk lipids

The cream fraction of milk comprises droplets of triacylglycerol coated with cellular membranes. In this review, we discuss how these droplets are formed and secreted from mammary epithelial cells during lactation. This secretory system is especially interesting because the assembled lipid droplets are secreted from the cytoplasm enveloped by cellular membranes. In other cells, such as hepatocytes and enterocytes, lipid is secreted by exocytosis from membrane-bounded compartments of the secretory pathway. Milk lipids originate as small droplets of triacylglycerol, synthesized in or on the surfaces of rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER)4 membranes. These droplets are released into the cytoplasm as microlipid droplets (MLDs) with a surface coat of protein and polar lipid. MLDs may fuse with each other to form larger cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs). Droplets of varying size, are transported to the apical cytoplasm by unknown mechanisms and are secreted from the cell coated with an outer bilayer membrane. CLDs may increase in size in all regions of the cell, especially at the plasma membrane during secretion. Two possible mechanisms for lipid secretion have been proposed: an apical mechanism, in which lipid droplets are enveloped with apical plasma membrane, and a secretory-vesicle mechanism, in which fat droplets are surrounded by secretory vesicles in the cytoplasm and are released from the surface by exocytosis from intracytoplasmic vacuoles. A combination of both mechanisms may be possible. Following secretion, a fraction of the membrane surrounding the globules may be shed from the droplets and give rise to membrane fragments in the skim milk phase.

Butyrophilin is expressed in mammary epithelial cells from a single-sized messenger RNA as a type I membrane glycoprotein

We investigated the expression of butyrophilin in eukaryotic cells with a view to determining the number of mRNA species, the incorporation of the peptide chain into microsomes, and the topology of the processed protein in biological membranes. Butyrophilin is synthesized from a single sized mRNA in both bovine and murine lactating mammary tissue and associates with microsomal membranes with a type I topology (Nexo.Ccyto) via a single hydrophobic anchor in the middle of the sequence. Several isoelectric variants of the protein were detected in cellular membranes from lactating bovine mammary tissue and in the milk-fat-globule membrane. We found no evidence for soluble forms of butyrophilin in postmicrosomal supernatants. The 66-kDa protein appears to be subjected to limited proteolysis, giving rise to a 62-kDa fragment lacking the C terminus and to other more minor fragments of lower Mr in the milk-fat-globule membrane. Antipeptide antibodies to epitopes within the N- and C-terminal domains were used to show that butyrophilin retains a type I topology in plasma membranes when expressed in insect cells from a baculovirus vector, and in secreted milk-fat globules. These data do not agree with previous suggestions that butyrophilin may exist in cytoplasmic soluble forms, or be reorganized in the plane of the lipid bilayer during secretion in lipid droplets from mammary cells. The results are discussed with reference to the role butyrophilin may play as the principal scaffold for the assembly of a complex with xanthine oxidase and other proteins that functions in the budding and release of milk-fat globules from the apical surface during lactation.

Stage specific expression of milk fat globule membrane glycoproteins in mouse mammary gland: comparison of MFG-E8, butyrophilin, and CD36 with a major milk protein, beta-casein

The expression of mouse milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) glycoproteins, MFG-E8, butyrophilin, CD36 was analyzed by Northern blot analyses. MFG-E8 and butyrophilin mRNAs were specifically detected in the mammary gland of lactating mice, whereas CD36 mRNA was detected in the heart and lung as well as in the mammary gland of lactating mice. The mRNAs of the three MFGM glycoproteins accumulated at mid-lactation were about 2-10-times as much as those of the early and late gestation stages, whereas beta-casein mRNA accumulation was dramatically increased; the mRNA at mid-lactation was no less than 40-times as much as that before lactation. In mouse mammary epithelial cell lines, HC11 and COMMA-1D, only a slight or almost no enhancement for the expression of MFG-E8, butyrophilin and CD36 mRNAs was induced simply by the treatment with the lactogenic hormones such as prolactin, insulin and dexamethasone, whereas the beta-casein mRNA expression was remarkably enhanced only by that treatment. Furthermore, while the beta-casein protein was constantly detected in milk throughout the lactation stage, the content of MFG-E8 and butyrophilin proteins increased during the lactation with an increase in the milk fat content. These results suggest that the stage-specific expression of milk fat globule membrane glycoproteins in mammary epithelial cells is regulated in a similar but not necessarily identical mechanism to that of a major milk protein, beta-casein.

Adipocyte differentiation-related protein is secreted into milk as a constituent of milk lipid globule membrane

Milk lipid globules from humans, cows and rats contained a protein identified as adipocyte differentiation-related protein (ADRP) associated with the globule surface membrane material. This protein, previously believed to be specific to adipocytes, was a major constituent of the globule surface and was present in a detergent-insoluble complex that contained stoichiometric amounts of butyrophilin and xanthine oxidase. Identification of ADRP was by sequence similarity of tryptic peptides from cow and human proteins with the sequence inferred from the cDNA for mouse ADRP. The putative ADRP of lipid globules from cow, human and rat milk was recognized specifically by antisera raised against a peptide synthesized to duplicate the N-terminal 26 residues of the mouse protein. In homogenates of lactating mammary gland, ADRP was found only in endoplasmic reticulum and in lipid droplet fractions. ADRP was modified, apparently post-translationally, and one modification apparently was acylation, primarily with C14, C16 and C18 fatty acids. Two isoelectric variants of ADRP were present in cow globule membrane material. In vitro, ADRP served as a substrate for protein kinases associated with milk lipid globule membrane, but this protein did not seem to become phosphorylated intracellularly.

Carboxy-terminal cytoplasmic domain of mouse butyrophilin specifically associates with a 150-kDa protein of mammary epithelial cells and milk fat globule membrane

A cDNA encoding mouse butyrophilin was obtained by reverse transcriptase-coupled polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using poly (A)+ RNA from lactating mouse mammary gland as a template and screening a cDNA library with the RT-PCR-amplified fragment as a probe. DNA sequencing and computer analysis revealed that it has a rather long 3'-untranslated sequence and that the carboxy-terminal cytoplasmic domain was well conserved between mouse and bovine butyrophilins. To elucidate the biological function of butyrophilin, the cytoplasmic region expressed as fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST) was purified and incubated with the cell lysate of mouse mammary epithelial cell lines, COMMA-ID and HC11. A 150-kDa protein was shown to specifically associate with the cytoplasmic domain and the protein increased in amount when the cells were treated with basal medium supplemented with lactogenic hormones such as prolactin, insulin and glucocorticoid. N-terminal amino acid sequencing indicated that the protein is xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase which has been cloned from mouse liver. Further, the cytoplasmic domain also bound xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase from bovine milk fat globule membrane. These results suggest that butyrophilin might be physiologically associated with xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase and might function in a complex form in milk fat secretion.

Cytosolic lipoprotein particles from milk-secreting cells contain fatty acid synthase and interact with endoplasmic reticulum

Part of the fatty acid synthase in cytosol from mammary glands of lactating rats was in a complex with other proteins and with lipids. This complex eluted in the void volume from a gel filtration column with an exclusion limit of 5,000,000, and remained in a 3% polyacrylamide stacking gel during electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. Fatty acid synthase-containing lipoprotein particles ranged in density from 1.07 to 1.16 g/ml, and varied in protein to lipid ratios. Similar fatty acid synthase particles were present also in cytosol from cow mammary gland. Butyrophilin, xanthine oxidase, and a group of small GTP-binding proteins that included ADP-ribosylation factor, were identified as constituents of the lipoprotein complex. This complex interacted with endoplasmic reticulum and with lipid droplets in cell-free incubation mixtures. In ultrastructure fatty acid synthase-containing lipoprotein particles were homogeneous in appearance, but were heterogeneous in size, with apparent diameters of 40 to 170 nm. Immunocytochemically, antigen recognized by antibodies to fatty acid synthase were found to be present in these particles and on endoplasmic reticulum. Lipoprotein complexes bound to specific polypeptides of endoplasmic reticulum.

Immunologically cross-reactive 57 kDa and 53 kDa glycoprotein antigens of bovine milk fat globule membrane: isoforms with different N-linked sugar chains and differential glycosylation at early stages of lactation

Two glycoprotein antigens with molecular masses of 57 kDa (MGP57) and 53 kDa (MGP53) were co-purified from bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) by immunoaffinity chromatography using a monoclonal antibody raised against the MFGM. Their N-terminal sequences of 22 amino acids determined were identical, and the sequence was homologous (about 60% identical) to the deduced amino acid sequence of mouse milk fat globule epidermal growth factor (EGF) factor 8 (MFG-E8) (Ref. [12], Stubbs, J.D. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87, 8417-8421, 1990). This suggests that MGP57/53 are bovine MFGM components 15/16 (PAS-6 and PAS-7), which have recently been reported to be bovine homologs of MFG-E8. N-Glycanase treatment of these glycoproteins reduced their molecular masses, and consequently the enzymatically deglycosylated MGP57 and MGP53 converged on a single band of 50 kDa as measured by SDS-PAGE, indicating that the polypeptide portions of these two distinct glycoprotein antigens are very similar or identical and that their N-linked sugar chains contributed to minor difference in their molecular masses. Western blot analyses using lectins also revealed that they were differentially glycosylated; MGP57 was stained with concanavalin A (Con A) more strongly than MGP53, whereas MGP 53 was stained well with soybean agglutinin (SBA). Reactivity with SBA remarkably increased during early stages of lactation. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that MGP57 and MGP53 were electrically heterogeneous; from day 9 after parturition, both glycoproteins fell in almost the same range of isoelectric points between 6.4 and 7.6, also, such glycoproteins from day 1 after parturition were more acidic, probably due to terminal sialylation of their sugar chains.

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies directed against bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM)

Nine hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) were produced from spleen cells of three immunized BALB/c mice. Several MFGM antigens recognized by some mAbs were identified as a 120 kDa protein and 67 kDa (butyrophilin), 57 kDa (PAS-6), 53 kDa (PAS-7), 33 kDa glycoproteins. The other mAbs secreted by four independent hybridoma clones recognized many broad bands ranging from 20 to 200 kDa. The 120 kDa protein and 67 kDa, 57 kDa, 53 kDa glycoproteins were detected by each mAb in the plasma membrane fraction prepared from a lactating bovine mammary gland. Moreover, mammary gland epithelium of a thin section was specifically stained with these mAbs, indicating that these mAbs directed against MFGM recognized membrane proteins and glycoproteins of lactating mammary epithelial cells. Upon heating of the MFGM in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4 at 100 degrees C for 10 min, the antigens still retained most of its reactivity to these mAbs, whereas, proteolytic cleavage by trypsin and chymotrypsin strongly reduced its reactivity to these mAbs by 60% or more except for two mAbs which recognized the 57 and 53 kDa glycoproteins, respectively.

Lipid synthesis and secretion by primary cultures of rat mammary epithelial cells

Lipid synthesis and secretion was measured in primary rat mammary epithelial cells cultured on basement matrix in medium supplemented with lactogenic hormones. The cells grew and differentiated to form alveolar-like structures reminiscent of lactating mammary gland. They synthesized abundant triacylglycerol, containing fatty acids characteristic of rat milk (C10:0-C14:0), using 14C-glucose, 14C-oleic acid or 14C-glycerol as precursors. Basal levels of triacylglycerol secretion were measured using 14C-oleic acid labeling; 1.3 +/- 0.3% of the labeled cellular triacylglycerol was secreted into the medium in 24 hours. Secreted lipid droplets were surrounded by a bilayer membrane with an electron-dense inner coat characteristic of fat globules secreted by the mammary gland. The rate of triglycerol secretion was increased to 998 +/- 98% of control (P < 0.01) by the addition of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in combination with staurosporine, a protein kinase inhibitor. Several other protein kinase inhibitors, when combined with PMA, also markedly stimulated secretion. Effective protein kinase inhibitors included sphingosine (has diverse cellular effects including the inhibition of protein kinase C; 13-fold increase in secretion), and KT5823 (a cGMP dependent protein kinase inhibitor; 5-fold increase). KT5720 (a cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor) did not alter secretion. Kinase inhibitors were effective only in the presence of a phorbol ester. 4 alpha-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, a phorbol ester which does not activate protein kinase C (PKC), could substitute for PMA. Lipid release was not mediated by disruption of cell-cell tight junctions, as EGTA did not release lipid. Based on these observations we suggest that two signals are needed to enable or stimulate lipid secretion in cultured rat mammary epithelial cells: 1) inhibition of a protein kinase and 2) a PKC-independent effect of phorbol ester. We have, for the first time, characterized a cell culture model suitable for studying lipid synthesis and secretion by mammary epithelial cells.

A review of the molecular and cellular biology of butyrophilin, the major protein of bovine milk fat globule membrane

The molecular and cellular biology of the milk protein butyrophilin is reviewed. Butyrophilin constitutes more than 40% by weight of the total protein associated with the fat globule membrane of bovine milk. Closely related proteins are abundant in the fat globule membranes of many other species. Butyrophilin is synthesized as a peptide of 526 amino acids with an amino-terminal hydrophobic signal sequence of 26 amino acids, which is cleaved before secretion in association with the fat globule membrane. Hydropathy analysis and in vitro translation of butyrophilin mRNA indicate that the protein associates with membranes in a type I orientation via a single stretch of 27 hydrophobic amino acids in the approximate middle of the sequence. Evidence that butyrophilin is incorporated into fat globule membrane as a transmembrane protein and as a cytoplasmically oriented peripheral component is discussed. The carboxy-terminal sequence of butyrophilin is significantly homologous to two other proteins: ret finger protein and the 52-kDa nuclear antigen A of Sjögren's syndrome. Expression of bovine butyrophilin mRNA correlates with the onset of milk fat secretion toward the end of pregnancy and is maintained throughout lactation. The possible function of butyrophilin in the secretion of milk lipid droplets is discussed.

Low molecular mass GTP-binding proteins are secreted from mammary epithelial cells in association with lipid globules

Secretion of milk lipid globules is achieved through encapsulation of triacylglycerol-rich lipid droplets in a specialized region of apical plasma membrane of mammary epithelial cells. A class of low molecular mass GTP-binding proteins were associated tightly with the lipid globule membrane, and these proteins appeared to change from peripheral to integral membrane proteins during intracellular growth and transit of lipid globule precursors. Inclusion of GTP or GTP gamma S in incubation medium stimulated secretion of lipids from primary cultures of permeabilized rat mammary epithelial cells. Six polypeptides with molecular masses between 28 and 21 kDa were detected by ability to bind GTP gamma S following separation of lipid-globule-associated proteins by SDS-PAGE and transblotting onto nitrocellulose. That all of these polypeptides were distinct immunologically from the archetype ras was evident from lack of immunoreactivity with p21 ras G-protein monoclonal antibody in Western blots. This monoclonal antibody bound to a 23 kDa polypeptide of lipid droplets that was not detected with the GTP gamma S binding assay. A 25 kDa component of milk lipid globules was a potent substrate for ADP-ribosylation by botulinum toxin C3, but cholera toxin was much less effective, suggesting that this component may belong to the rac class of G-proteins. The 21 kDa component was related immunologically to ADP ribosylation factor.

Changes in structure of the bovine milk fat globule membrane on heating whole milk

The effects of heat-induced interactions between milk fat globule membrane components and skim milk proteins in whole milk on the structure of the membrane were examined by isopycnic sucrose density gradient centrifugation and by using Triton X-100 as a membrane probe. Skim milk components were incorporated into all the lipoprotein fractions separated by density gradient centrifugation. High density complexes, higher in density than those found in the natural milk fat globule membrane, were formed during the heat treatment. Losses of natural membrane polypeptides from the medium and low density lipoproteins were observed on heating. Heating whole milk also altered the rate of release of membrane components by detergent, with decreases in protein released and an increase in phospholipid constituents released. Studies on washed cream indicated that some of the changes in the membrane on heating whole milk occurred due to the heat treatment alone, independent of the interactions with skim milk proteins.

Purification and characterization of major glycoproteins, PAS-6 and PAS-7, from bovine milk fat globule membrane

Two major glycoproteins (PAS-6 and PAS-7) from bovine milk fat globule membrane were selectively extracted with urea and KCl, co-purified by repeated gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and then separated by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-agarose column. The two purified glycoproteins showed a single band by SDS-PAGE, and their molecular masses were estimated to be 50 kDa for PAS-6 and 47 kDa for PAS-7. Both PAS-6 and PAS-7 were resolved several variants by analytical isoelectric focusing. These were shifted to a single band at pI 6.2 for PAS-6 and at pI 6.5 for PAS-7 by neuraminidase. PAS-6 contained 7.1% and PAS-7 5.5% of carbohydrate; the molar ratio of fucose:mannose:galactose:N-acetyl galactosamine:N-acetyl glucosamine:sialic acid was 1.0:3.0:2.0:6.1:5.0:1.3 for PAS-6 and 1.0:3.1:2.2:0:4.1:1.1 for PAS-7. Mild alkaline treatment and affinity to various lectins indicated that PAS-6 had O- and N-linked oligosaccharide chains, while PAS-7 had only the N-linked type. The major amino acid residues of PAS-6 were Glu, Ser and Gly, and those of PAS-7 were Asp, Glu, Gly and Leu. The N-terminal amino acids of both glycoproteins were blocked. PAS-6 and PAS-7 digested with trypsin had a different peptide map, two major peptides having the same retention time on HPLC and being common to PAS-6 and PAS-7 having the same amino acid sequences of H-Gln-Ser-Gly-Asn-Lys-Asn-Pro-Ser-Glu-Ile-Ser-OH and H-Ile-Phe-Pro-Gly-Asn-Met-Asp-Asn-Ser-His-Lys-OH.

Alkaline phosphatase in the lactating bovine mammary gland and the milk fat globule membrane. Release by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C

1. Alkaline phosphatase is covalently bound to bovine mammary microsomal membranes and milk fat globule membranes through linkage to phosphatidylinositol as demonstrated by the release of alkaline phosphatase following treatment with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. 2. The release of alkaline phosphatase from the pellet to the supernatant was demonstrated by enzyme assays and electrophoresis. 3. Electrophoresis of the solubilized enzymes showed that the alkaline phosphatase of the microsomal membranes contained several isozymes, while only one band with alkaline phosphatase activity was seen in the fat globule membrane. 4. Levamisole and homoarginine were potent inhibitors of the alkaline phosphatase activities in both membrane preparations and in bovine liver alkaline phosphatase, but not in calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase.

Factors related to the formation of cytoplasmic crescents on milk fat globules

Cytoplasm from lactating cells is included with some milk fat globules at secretion. The objective was to search for factors causing this phenomenon. Globules bearing crescents of cytoplasm were selectively stained with the fluorescent dye, acridine orange, and their proportion in the globule population was obtained by counting from photomicrographs. Incidence of crescents on fat globules in milk samples of 50 human donors ranged from 1 to 29%, and the mean was 7.2%. Two bovine milk samples, both representing over 100 animals, contained 1% or less of globules with crescents. Globules in individual milkings of five beef cows showed the same low proportion of crescents. In addition to species, genetic and diurnal factors influenced numbers of crescents. Two sisters showed evidence within and between lactations of a persistent high proportion (greater than 25%) of globules with crescents. Samples collected in the a.m. contained a lower percentage of globules with crescents (6.5%) than those obtained in the p.m. (9.7%). Crescent incidence was not correlated with lipid or protein content of human milk, interval within a milking, days in lactation, or the donor's age. Evidence is presented to suggest that the concentration, distribution, and acylation of butyrophilin and xanthine oxidase, coat proteins of the apical plasma membrane, are important factors in globule crescent formation.

Butyrophilin of milk lipid globule membrane contains N-linked carbohydrates and cross-links with xanthine oxidase

1. N-glycanase, but not O-glycanase, released carbohydrates from butyrophilin of rat and cow milk lipid globule membranes. 2. 1-Deoxynojirimycin, and inhibitor of glucosidases I and II of the glycoprotein processing pathway, increased the amount or extent of glycosylation of butyrophilin in rat milk lipid globules. 3. Butyrophilin and xanthine oxidase of milk lipid globule membrane had a nearest neighbor relationship, as demonstrated through specific crosslinking of these proteins. 4. From these results it is suggested that butyrophilin has asparagine-linked oligosaccharides which bypass the processing apparatus of endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Butyrophilin may be responsible for anchoring xanthine oxidase to the inner (cytoplasmic) face of milk lipid globule membrane.

Characteristics of purified cows' milk xanthine oxidase and its submolecular characteristics

Xanthine oxidase (EC 1.2.3.2) was purified from fresh cows' milk by differential centrifugation and hydroxylapatite chromatography in the absence of reducing agents and proteases. The purified isolate possessed an absorbance at 280 nm:absorbance at 450 nm ratio of 4.84; an absorbance (1 cm at 280 nm 1%) of 11.9; an activity:absorbance at 450 nm of 141, a specific activity of 3.59 units/mg; and detectable dehydrogenase activity. The enzyme preparation was obtained in a reversible oxidase form that could be partially converted to xanthine dehydrogenase in the presence of 10mM dithiothreitol or 1% mercaptoethanol. Amino acid analyses revealed that the enzyme was hydrophobic in nature and that lysine constituted its N-terminal residue. The protein contained 22 disulfide and 38 sulfhydryl groups, four of which were detectable in the undenatured protein complex. Discontinuous PAGE in the presence of selected dissociation agents did not result in further resolution. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE of the purified enzyme revealed a sharp zone with a molecular weight of 151,000 +/- 4000 (i.e., monomer). The purified enzyme exhibited oxidase activity in the presence of 6 M urea and following limited proteolysis by trypsin, chymotrypsin, plasmin, pancreatin, pepsin, and papain. Proteolyzed xanthine oxidase migrated as a single zone in polyacrylamide gels in the presence and absence of dissociating agents such as 1% mercaptoethanol and 6 M urea. Restricted digestion of xanthine oxidase by proteases was indicated by the presence of three major zones with molecular weights ranging from 85,000 to 100,000, 30,000 to 35,000, and 18,000 to 20,000 commonly observed in SDS gels. Amino acid profiles of the principal peptidyl fragments of trypsin-cleaved xanthine oxidase indicated their hydrophobic nature and lysine as the N-terminal residue for all fragments.

Hydrolysis of bovine milk fat globules by lipoprotein lipase: inhibition by proteins extracted from milk fat globule membrane

Extraction of membrane proteins from milk fat globules by GuHCl or by MgCl2 made the lipids more accessible to lipolysis by added lipoprotein lipase. The increase in lipolysis paralleled the loss of membrane proteins and was continuous up to 2.5 M GuHCl, which was the highest concentration used. About twice as much protein was extracted with 2.5 M GuHCl as with buffer only. The amount of protein lost was about 50% of total milk fat globule protein. Lipolysis of milk fat globules was inhibited by addition of the extracted protein. The extracted proteins also reduced lipolysis when added to whole milk. More protein was needed to inhibit lipolysis of milk fat globules treated with GuHCl compared with globules treated with buffer only. The inhibition by a given amount of protein decreased if more milk fat globules were used. Protein extracted with MgCl2 had similar effects as those extracted with GuHCl. The major components extracted with MgCl2 migrated in the 40 to 50-kdalton region on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. By gel filtration chromatography, two protein fractions were obtained, which inhibited lipolysis more efficiently than the total extract. As has previously been found for inhibition of lipolysis by skim milk, the amount of extracted protein needed to inhibit lipolysis varied between preparations of milk fat globules. Milk with propensity to cold-induced ("spontaneous") lipolysis was normalized by addition of extracted proteins.

High-Mr glycoprotein profiles in human milk serum and fat-globule membrane

Gradient-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of human milk serum separated three high-Mr glycoprotein bands. The properties of the components corresponding to the three bands (tentatively termed 'Components C, B and A' in their order of migration) were compared by staining with four monoclonal antibodies and lectins. Components B and C both reacted with the four antibodies, but Component A did not. Components B and C were stained with peanut (Arachis hypogaea) agglutinin (PNA) and wheat (Triticum)-germ agglutinin (WGA), Component A being stained with soya-bean (Glycine max) agglutinin as well as PNA and WGA. These results suggest that Components B and C were related molecules, whereas Component A was markedly different from them. The reactivities of Components B and C were the same as those of PAS-0, a high-Mr periodate/Schiff (PAS)-positive glycoprotein previously isolated from human milk fat-globule membrane (MFGM). Component C, whose electrophoretic mobility was the same as PAS-0, could have been a soluble form of PAS-0. A high-Mr glycoprotein having the same properties as Component A was also observed in MFGM. The amino acid composition of the isolated Component A was significantly different from that of Component C and PAS-0, high threonine and serine contents being characteristic of Component A. The carbohydrate content of Component A was 65-80%, and was much higher than that of Component C and PAS-0. Fucose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and sialic acid were each detected as constituent sugars of Component A. Component A represents, therefore, a new high-Mr glycoprotein species in human milk serum and MFGM. Since these glycoproteins were high-Mr mucin-like glycoproteins, the names 'HM glycoprotein-A' and 'HM glycoprotein-C' were proposed for Component A and Component C (PAS-O) respectively.

Identification and characterization of the principal proteins of the fat-globule membrane from guinea-pig milk

The milk-fat-globule membrane (MFGM) was isolated from guinea-pig milk and the membrane-associated proteins and glycoproteins characterized by electrophoretic techniques. Major components of the membrane included PAS-I, a sialoglycoprotein of Mr greater than or equal to 200000, the redox enzyme xanthine oxidase and the glycoprotein, butyrophilin. Membrane preparations also contained two other glycoproteins, GP-80 and GP-55, of Mr 80000 and 55000, respectively. Comparison of guinea-pig xanthine oxidase and butyrophilin with proteins from bovine MFGM by peptide mapping procedures, showed that the two proteins in both species were similar, but not identical. GP-55 may also be related to glycoproteins of Mr 45000 and 48000 in the bovine membrane. The integral and peripheral components of guinea-pig MFGM were identified by treating membrane preparations with sodium carbonate solutions at high pH and by partitioning the membrane proteins in solutions of Triton X-114. By these criteria xanthine oxidase and GP-55 appeared to be peripheral components and GP-80 an integral protein of the membrane. PAS-I and butyrophilin displayed hydrophilic properties in Triton X-114 solutions, but could not be removed from membrane preparations with sodium carbonate. Possible reasons for these ambiguous data are discussed. The observed similarity between several of the proteins of guinea-pig and bovine MFGM implies that these proteins may have specific functions related to milk secretion in mammary tissue, e.g. in the budding of milk-fat globules or the exocytosis of milk protein and lactose at the apical surface.

Monoclonal antibodies prepared against PAS-I butyrophilin and GP-55 from guinea-pig milk-fat-globule membrane bind specifically to the apical pole of secretory-epithelial cells in lactating mammary tissue

Monoclonal antibodies to the three major glycoproteins of guinea-pig milk-fat-globule membrane were isolated. The specificity of these antibodies was determined by solid-phase immunoassays and by immunoblotting and autoradiographic techniques after one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The antibodies bound to PAS-I, a sialoglycoprotein of Mr greater than or equal to 200 000 and the glycoproteins butyrophilin and GP-55, of Mr 63 000 and 55 000, respectively. Immunolocalization studies showed that all three proteins were highly concentrated in the apical pole of secretory-epithelial cells in mammary tissue during lactation. PAS-I, butyrophilin or GP-55, were not detected in either the basal cytoplasm of mammary epithelial cells or in myoepithelial cells, capillary endothelial cells or other cells found in the mammary gland. These proteins were either present in small amounts or were absent from mammary tissue taken in late pregnancy. The monoclonal antibodies characterized in this study will therefore be useful as probes for studies of the biogenesis of apical membrane proteins in mammary epithelial cells during lactation.

Monoclonal antibodies recognizing epitopes carried on both glycolipids and glycoproteins of the human milk fat globule membrane

The molecules of the human milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) which bind four murine monoclonal antibodies (LICR LON M3, M8, M18 and M24) raised against the human MFGM have been identified. By using 'Western' blotting [Burnette (1981) Anal. Biochem. 112, 195-203] it was shown that each antibody reacted with a different set of proteins. M3 and M24 were similar in their pattern of reaction with the membrane proteins, but were quite distinct from M8 and M18, which also differed from each other. Glycopeptides prepared from the MFGM by exhaustive Pronase digestion were able to inhibit partially the binding of M3 and M24, and prevent totally the binding of M8 and M18, to the MFGM in an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. Oligosaccharides obtained by the deproteination of human milk also completely inhibited the binding of M3, M18 and M24 to the MFGM. However, the binding of M8 was not inhibited by these saccharides, and therefore M8 may not be recognizing a simple carbohydrate determinant. By using an enzyme-linked assay, M8 and M18 were shown not to bind to MFGM glycolipid, whereas M3 and M24 did, and this was confirmed by overlaying thin layer chromatograms of MFGM lipids with these antibodies. Both M3 and M24 showed a similar complex pattern of reaction, binding to more than one glycolipid moiety. By these means all four antibodies have been shown to react with antigens which involve carbohydrate side chains carried on different proteins, and two were also shown to react with such determinants on glycolipids.

Characterization of an apically derived epithelial membrane glycoprotein from bovine milk, which is expressed in capillary endothelia in diverse tissues

A glycoprotein (PAS IV) of apparent Mr 76,000 was purified from bovine milk-fat-globule membrane and partially characterized. PAS IV contained mannose, galactose, and sialic acid as principal sugars (approximately 5.3% total carbohydrate [wt/wt]) and existed in milk in at least four isoelectric variants. The glycoprotein appeared to be an integral membrane protein by several criteria. PAS IV was recovered in the detergent phase of Triton X-114 extracts of milk-fat-globule membrane at room temperature. When bound to membrane, PAS IV was resistant to digestion by a number of proteinases, although after solubilization with non-ionic detergents, the protein was readily degraded. Amino acid analysis of the purified protein revealed a high percentage of amino acids with nonpolar residues. The location of PAS IV was determined in bovine tissues by using immunofluorescence techniques. In mammary tissue, PAS IV was located on both the apical surfaces of secretory epithelial cells and endothelial cells of capillaries. This glycoprotein was also detected in endothelial cells of heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, salivary gland, and small intestine. In addition to mammary epithelial cells, PAS IV was also located in certain other epithelial cells, most notably the bronchiolar epithelial cells of lung. The potential usefulness of this protein as a specific marker of capillary endothelial cells in certain tissues is discussed.

Protein synthesis in lactating guinea-pig mammary tissue perfused in vitro. II. Biogenesis of milk-fat-globule membrane proteins

Guinea-pig mammary tissue was perfused in vitro, radiolabelled with [35S]methionine and intracellular protein precursors of the milk-fat-globule membrane (FGM) recovered by immunoabsorption techniques. Labelled xanthine oxidase was solely detected in post-microsomal supernatants and butyrophilin in carbonate-washed membranes. A major glycoprotein (Gp 55), was initially present in a membrane-bound form, but after longer perfusion times a fraction of this protein was recovered in the post-microsomal supernatant. These results are discussed with reference to formation of the apically-derived FGM.

Biochemical and immunological characterization of desmoplakins I and II, the major polypeptides of the desmosomal plaque

Epithelial cells contain complexes of cytokeratin filaments (tonofilaments) with specific domains of the plasma membrane that appear as symmetric junctions, i.e. desmosomes, or as asymmetric hemi-desmosomes. These regions of filament-membrane-attachment are characterized by 14 to 20 nm thick dense plaques (desmosomal plaque). In isolated desmosome-tonofilament complexes or other desmosomal fractions from various stratified squamous epithelia (e.g. bovine muzzle epidermis and tongue mucosa) desmosomal plaque structures are recognized and show a relatively high resistance to various extraction buffers and detergents. Such fractions enriched in desmosomal plaque material are also enriched in two prominent polypeptide bands of apparent molecular weights 250,000 (desmoplakin I) and 215,000 (desmoplakin II) which appear, on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, as two distinct polypeptides isoelectric near neutral pH. These two polypeptides are present in almost equimolar amounts and each of them appears as a series of isoelectric variants, including some labeled by [32P]phosphate in tissue slices. The two desmoplakin polypeptides are closely related as shown by tryptic peptide map analysis and are different from keratin-like proteins and other major polypeptides of desmosome-rich fractions. Guinea pig antibodies raised against desmoplakins and specific for these proteins do not cross-react with other desmosomal antigen(s) or constituents of other types of junctions. Using desmoplakin antibodies we have identified desmoplakins as the major constituents of the desmosomal plaques present in epithelial and myocardiac cells of diverse species. The significance of this group of cell type-specific membrane-associated cytoskeletal proteins and their possible cytoskeletal functions are discussed.