TY  - JOUR
AU  - Sharp, JA
AU  - Lefevre, C
AU  - Nicholas, KR
Y2  - 2020/12/18
Y1  - 2008/11/06
SN  - 1741-7007
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/11343/256148
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mammary gland undergoes a sophisticated programme of developmental changes during pregnancy/lactation. However, little is known about processes involving initiation of apoptosis at involution following weaning. We used fur seals as models to study the molecular process of involution as these animals display a unique mammary gland phenotype. Fur seals have long lactation periods whereby mothers cycle between secreting copious quantities of milk for 2 to 3 days suckling pups on land, with trips to sea alone to forage for up to 23 days during which time mammary glands remain active without initiating apoptosis/involution. RESULTS: We show the molecular basis by which alpha-lactalbumin (LALBA), a secreted milk protein, is absent in Cape fur seals and demonstrate an apoptotic function for LALBA when exposed to mammary cells. CONCLUSION: We propose that apoptosis does not occur in fur seal mammary glands due to lack of LALBA in fur seal milk, allowing evasion of involution during a foraging trip. Our work identifies LALBA as a milk factor that feeds back on the mammary gland to regulate involution.
LA  - English
PB  - BMC
T1  - Lack of functional alpha-lactalbumin prevents involution in Cape fur seals and identifies the protein as an apoptotic milk factor in mammary gland involution
DO  - 10.1186/1741-7007-6-48
IS  - BMC Biology
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
L1  - /bitstream/handle/11343/256148/PMC2600633.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
ER  -