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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 278, Issue 31, 29145-29152, August 1, 2003
The Neuropeptide Galanin Augments Lobuloalveolar Development* ![]() ![]() ![]()
From the
Received for publication, April 10, 2003 , and in revised form, May 15, 2003.
Mammary lobuloalveolar development during pregnancy is controlled by ovarian sex steroids and pituitary prolactin release. In organ culture these hormones are incapable of reproducing the density and size of lobuloalveoli seen in mice, suggesting the existence of other undiscovered factors. We showed previously that galanin knockout mice fail to lactate sufficiently for pup survival following their first pregnancy. Here we demonstrate that prolactin treatment of galanin knockout mice allows pup survival but does not completely rescue lobuloalveolar development or reduced milk protein expression. When galanin was used in combination with prolactin in mammary organ culture, larger and more numerous lobules were produced than with prolactin alone. Galanin alone produced sustained activation of STAT5a and the induction of milk protein expression but did not induce lobulogenesis. Examination of the transcriptional interaction between galanin and prolactin using oligonucleotide microarrays demonstrated synergistic and antagonistic modes of interaction between these hormones. These data establish a new role for galanin as a hormone augmenting mammary development during pregnancy in concert with prolactin.
Development of the mammary gland occurs predominantly after birth and is systemically controlled by the pituitary-ovarian axis. A small number of hormones control the different facets of mammary development; for example, estrogen and growth hormone regulate ductal elongation, and progesterone is essential for ductal side branching and alveolar bud formation (13). Prolactin (PRL),1 via support of ovarian steroid hormone synthesis and direct action on the mammary epithelial cells, is critical for two stages of mammary development, lobuloalveolar development during early pregnancy and lactogenesis during late pregnancy (4, 5). Other factors may remain to be discovered, as models of mammary development in vitro do not reproduce the extent of mammary development seen in vivo.
Galanin is a 29-amino acid peptide originally isolated from porcine intestine (6) that has been implicated in the control of a number of biological processes including cognition, feeding behavior, neuroendocrine responses, mitogenesis, and nociception (7). Galanin signals through a family of three G protein-coupled receptors, galanin receptors (Galr) 13 (810). The generation of mice carrying a loss-of-function mutation of the galanin gene has enabled investigation of the functions of galanin in vivo. Galanin regulates the development of sensory and cholinergic neurons, hippocampal excitability, and modulation of the pain response (1114). Overexpression of galanin in neurons suppresses epileptic-like-induced seizures (15). Galanin is also a mitogen for the prolactin-secreting pituitary lactotroph cells. Overexpression of galanin in the lactotroph induces hyperplasia and consequent hyperprolactinemia (16), and galanin knockout (Gal/) mice display reduced prolactin levels during pregnancy associated with lactational failure (17). Together these data demonstrate an essential role for galanin in the control of neuronal and neuroendocrine function. The galanin gene is located at chromosome 11q13, and like many genes in this region it is amplified in around 13% of breast cancers (18). Galanin is expressed by a number of breast cancer cell lines, but expression does not correlate with amplification. In contrast, galanin expression correlates with estrogen and progesterone receptor expression and is regulated by estradiol and progesterone (19). In the rat, serum levels of galanin increase during pregnancy and peak at mid-pregnancy with levels 7-fold greater then those observed in nulliparous animals (20). These observations suggest that the role of galanin in mammary gland development may involve more than simple modulation of pituitary prolactin secretion. To further investigate this hypothesis we utilized galanin knockout mice, combined with mammary transplantation, whole organ culture, and transcript profiling, to examine the role of galanin in mammary development.
AnimalsGal/ mice (17) used in these studies were of the 129OlaHsd genetic background. Rag1/ mice (21) on the inbred C57BL/6J background were purchased from Animal Resource Centre, Perth, Australia. All animals were specific pathogen-free and housed with food and water ad libitum with a 12-h day/night cycle at 22 °C and 80% relative humidity. mRNA IsolationThe 4th inguinal mammary gland was frozen in liquid nitrogen before storage at 80 °C prior to use. Total RNA was extracted using TRIZOL reagent (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)First strand cDNA synthesis used avian myeloblastosis transcriptase (Promega) according to the manufacturer's instructions. PCR primers for galanin (accession number NM 010253), Galr1 (accession number NM 008082), Galr2 (accession number NM 010254), Galr3 (accession number NM 015738), and GAPDH (accession number M32599 [GenBank] ) were designed on the basis of mismatch to other genes. The following primers were used in this study: galanin, mGal-F1 5'-TGCAGTAAGCGACCATCCAG-3' (forward) and mGal-R1 5'-AGCACAGGACACACGTGCAC-3' (reverse); Galr1, mGalr1-F1 5'-CGCCTTCATCTGCAAGTTTA-3' (forward) and mGalr1-R1 5'-CAGGACGGTCTGTGCAGT-3' (reverse); Galr2, mGalr2-F1 5'-TGCCTTTCCAGGCCACCATC-3' (forward) and mGalr2-R1 5'-GCGTAAGTGGCACGCGTGAG-3' (reverse); Galr3, Galr3-F1 5'-CCTGGCTCTTTGGGGCTTTCGTG-3' (forward) and Galr3-R1 5'-AGCGCGTAGAGCGCGGCCACTG-3' (reverse); GAPDH, GAPDH-F1 5'-TGACATCAAGAAGGTGGTGAAGC-3' (forward) and GAPDH-R1 5'-AAGGTGGAAGAGTGGGAGTTGCTG-3' (reverse). The amplification regime consisted of a 94 °C 10-min denaturation cycle, followed by 94 °C for 25 s, 58 °C for 30 s, and 72 °C for 2 min, for 33 cycles. An elongation step of 72 °C for 5 min ended the PCR. Oligonucleotides for internal hybridization of PCR products were 5'-AATGGCCACGTAGCGATCCA-3' (Galr1), 5'-GTAGCTGCAGGCTCAGGTTCC-3' (Galr2), and 5'-GTGGCCGTGGTGAGCCTGGCCT-3' (Galr3). Recombined Mammary Gland TransplantationDonor mammary tissue (1 mm3) from Gal+/+ or Gal/ 12-week-old mice was inserted into the excised fat pad of Gal+/+ or Gal/ 3-week-old mice cleared of endogenous epithelium. This recombined mammary epithelium-stroma complex was then grafted between the abdominal cavity and skin, between the 3rd and 4th mammary glands of 3-week-old Rag1/ mice (22). This procedure resulted in 100% transplant survival with >95% showing ductal outgrowth. Using this method, recombinations of mammary epithelium and stroma were produced that allowed deletion of the galanin gene from stroma and/or epithelium. Histological AnalysisMammary whole mounts were made by spreading the gland on a glass slide and fixing in 10% formalin solution. Glands were defatted in acetone before carmine alum (0.2% carmine, 0.5% aluminum sulfate) staining overnight. The whole mount was dehydrated using a graded ethanol series followed by xylene treatment for 60 min and storage and photography in methyl salicylate. Morphometric analysis was performed by counting the number of side branches, alveolar buds, or lobuloalveoli per mammary gland (n = 5) for mammary gland cultures or from four representative fields of view from whole 4th inguinal glands. PRL Treatment of MiceOn the morning of the observation of a vaginal plug, 68-week-old mice were implanted with a 0.25-µl per h, 28-day mini-osmotic pump (Alzet) containing unmodified PRL prepared as described (23). Either 0.6 or 1.2 µg were delivered per 24 h. On the first day post-partum maternal behavior of mothers was observed, pups were examined for the presence of milk, and glands were taken for histological analysis. Mammary Gland CultureFour-week-old BALB/c mice were implanted with estrogen, progesterone, and cholesterol pellets (41). Following 9 days of treatment, the whole fourth glands were removed and stretched onto siliconized lens paper and placed into Petri dishes containing 2 ml of Weymouth's 152/1 medium supplemented with penicillin (100 units/ml), streptomycin (100 µg/ml), gentamycin sulfate (50 µg/ml), 20 mM HEPES, insulin (5 µg/ml), hydrocortisone (100 ng/ml), and aldosterone (100 ng/ml) (basal medium; IAH) to monitor ductal side branching, with and without 100 nM rat galanin (Auspep). To assess lobuloalveolar development ovine PRL (1 µg/ml; Sigma) was added to the basal medium with or without galanin. Glands were maintained in a tri-gas incubator at 50% O2 and 5% CO2 in air. Medium was changed after 24 h and then every second day for 6 days before morphology and histology were assessed. Transcript ProfilingTotal RNA was extracted using TRIZOL reagent (Invitrogen), purified using RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen), cDNA synthesis was performed using Superscript II (Invitrogen), synthesis of Biotin-labeled cRNA was performed using an BioArray HighYield RNA Transcript labeling kit (Enzo Diagnostics) and hybridized to Affymetrix MGU74v2 GeneChips overnight as per the manufacturer's instructions. Arrays were performed in duplicate using four-six glands per treatment group from two separate replicate experiments. Analysis was performed using the Affymetrix GeneChip v5 software (MAS 5), with treatment groups compared back to IAH treatment as the baseline comparison. Principal components analysis was performed using JMP (SAS Institute). Venn diagrams were formed by selecting genes called increasing or decreasing by MAS 5 with a -fold change greater then 1.7 compared with IAH. These groups were further restricted by excluding genes with a magnitude -fold change >1.2 induced by the other treatments.
Quantitative RT-PCRQuantitative PCR was performed using
LightCycler technology (Roche Applied Science). Primers were designed on the
basis of mismatch to other genes for WDMN1,
Western AnalysisFollowing RNA extraction from mammary
glands using TRIZOL reagent (Invitrogen), protein was extracted following the
manufacturer's instructions. Protein was separated using SDS-PAGE (Bio-Rad),
transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (Millipore), and blocked overnight
with 5% skim milk powder, 2% fetal bovine serum, 50 mM sodium
phosphate, 50 mM NaCl, and 0.1% Tween 20. Membranes were incubated
with one of the following primary antibodies:
Prolactin Supplementation of Gal/ Mice Allows Lactation That Is Sufficient for Pup Survival, but Lobuloalveolar Development Is Not Completely RescuedTargeted disruption of the galanin gene resulted in failure of ductal side branching during puberty and lactational failure following the first pregnancy. We have previously ascribed this effect to the reduced levels of serum prolactin seen in Gal/ animals, but this hypothesis has not been tested, and the defects in the mammary glands of Gal/ have not been investigated during pregnancy (17). At day 12 of pregnancy the size and density of lobuloalveoli were decreased in Gal/ mammary glands compared with that in galanin wild type (Gal+/+) mice (Fig. 1A). This defect continued throughout pregnancy, and at the 1st day post-partum, Gal/ mammary glands showed reduced lobuloalveolar density compared with Gal+/+ mice (Fig. 1B). Histological examination showed that although the lobuloalveoli had formed, lactation had not commenced in Gal/ mice (Fig. 1C). Examination of the stomach contents of the pups for milk showed that 11 of 12 knockout females were unable to lactate following their first pregnancy (Fig. 1D), despite the observation of normal maternal behavior and suckling of pups. Differentiation of the mammary epithelium was assessed by quantitative analysis of the mRNA levels of several milk protein genes. Mid ( -casein), and late (WAP)
stage markers of epithelial cell differentiation were all decreased in
Gal/ mammary glands compared
with Gal+/+ littermates
(Fig. 1E). Epithelial
content was assessed by quantitative measurement of keratin 18 mRNA levels and
showed similar levels in Gal+/+ and
Gal/ glands
(Fig. 1E). This
finding, combined with the histological findings, indicate that the
lobuloalveoli had formed in
Gal/ mammary glands but that
differentiation and lactogenesis had failed. Thus the reduced area of
epithelium apparent in the Gal/
whole mounts and histology at term is due to a failure of lobuloalveolar
engorgement because of failed onset of milk secretion, but not to a detectable
decrease in epithelial cell number. A similar defect is seen in prolactin
receptor heterozygous+/ mice
(4), and interestingly this
effect was lost following their second pregnancy, as seen in
Gal/ mice
(24).
Because homozygous disruption of the galanin gene results in decreased
levels of plasma PRL during pregnancy, we determined whether treatment of
Gal/ mice with PRL would rescue
the defect in lobuloavleolar development and lactation. Using a mini-osmotic
pump, treatment with either 0.6 or 1.2 µg of PRL per 24 h throughout the
duration of pregnancy restored lactation and allowed pup survival
(Fig. 1D). Mammary
gland whole mounts showed a partial rescue of lobuloalveolar density
(Fig. 1B), but
histological examination showed that many alveoli had not commenced lactation,
identified by their retention of highly proteinaceous (pink staining) contents
(Fig. 1C). Analysis of
milk protein gene expression revealed that PRL treatment did not even
partially rescue the defect in lobuloalveolar differentiation measured by the
expression of the milk proteins WDMN1 and Galanin and Galanin Receptors Are Differentially Expressed in the Mammary GlandThe failure to rescue milk protein expression with PRL treatment of Gal/ mice indicated that galanin may act by an additional mechanism to regulate mammary epithelial cell differentiation. Expression of mRNA for galanin and Galr 13 was examined by RT-PCR using mouse mammary glands collected at various stages of development (Fig. 2). The galanin transcript was expressed at all time points, from estrous in nulliparous mice through to lactation, but was not detected during involution. Expression of transcripts for the galanin receptors was tightly regulated and coordinated. Transcripts for all three receptors were most highly expressed at day 7 of pregnancy. Galr1 transcripts were only detected at this time, whereas Galr2 mRNA was also detected at lower levels throughout the later stages of pregnancy and involution, and Galr3 mRNA was also detected during estrous and diestrous in the nulliparous mice. Very low expression of Galr3 mRNA could also be detected at 5 days of involution with longer exposure (data not shown). The coordinated regulation of galanin receptors in the mammary gland and increase of galanin in serum during pregnancy suggested a possible endocrine role for galanin, whereas the expression of galanin in the mammary gland also raised the possibility of an autocrine or paracrine mechanism.
An Autocrine or Paracrine Mechanism of Galanin Action Is Not Essential for Mammary Gland DevelopmentTo determine whether galanin produced by the mammary gland was necessary for normal development, we employed mammary epithelial transplantation. Donor mammary epithelium from mature Gal+/+ or Gal/ mice was inserted into the excised fat pad of 3-week-old Gal+/+ or Gal/ mice cleared of endogenous epithelium. The recombined mammary epithelium-stroma complex was grafted between the skin and abdominal cavity of 3-week-old Rag1/ mice (22). This allowed deletion of the galanin gene from the stroma and/or epithelium in the context of a normal endocrine background including normal circulating prolactin and galanin levels. Ablation of galanin from the stroma, epithelium, or from both did not recapitulate the failure of ductal side branching observed in nulliparous Gal/ mice nor the impaired lobuloalveolar development seen on the 1st day post-partum (Fig. 3) (data not shown). These data demonstrate that an autocrine/paracrine role for galanin is not essential for mammary development in the context of normal levels of circulating galanin. Thus endocrine galanin is sufficient for normal mammary gland development in the absence of mammary-produced galanin. Mammary-produced galanin could, however, play a role in pathological situations where endocrine galanin levels become deficient.
Galanin Can Act Directly on the Mammary Gland to Induce Lobuloalveolar DevelopmentGalanin may act in an endocrine manner via mammary galanin receptors to induce lobuloalveolar development. As galanin treatment in vivo would indirectly induce mammary development via endocrine regulation of PRL and progesterone, we utilized an in vitro mammary gland culture model of mammogenesis (25). Ductal side branching similar to that seen during puberty was produced when mammary glands were cultured in IAH (Fig. 4). The addition of 100 nM galanin to the IAH-containing medium did not alter ductal or lobuloalveolar development measured by quantitative morphology and histology. When PRL was added to the culture medium, lobuloalveolar development was observed (Fig. 4), although as noted previously, not to the extent observed during pregnancy. The addition of 100 nM galanin to IAH + PRL medium resulted in a 3.8-fold increase in the number of lobuloalveoli per gland (8.6 ± 2.1 IAH + PRL versus 33.0 IAH + PRL + galanin; p = 0.005), causing the glands to resemble those observed during pregnancy. Additionally, the size of individual lobuloalveoli in IAH + PRL + galanin-treated glands was also greater than in IAH + PRL-treated glands (Fig. 4). These data show that galanin can act directly on the mammary gland to augment PRL-mediated lobuloalveolar development, establishing galanin as a new endocrine factor active during this phase of development.
Galanin Action on Mammary Gland Differentiation Results in Activation of STAT5To investigate the mechanisms behind the induction of lobuloalveolar development by galanin we examined activation of the JAK/STAT, MAP kinase and PI 3-kinase signaling pathways by PRL and galanin. As expected, in mammary glands treated with PRL we saw an increase in total STAT5a and a dramatic increase in phosphorylated STAT5 in these glands (Fig. 4). Similarly, PRL treatment resulted in the sustained activation the MAP kinase pathway. Although the level of total ERK1/2 decreased, the levels of phosphorylated ERK dramatically increased in mammary glands exposed to PRL. Examination of PI 3-kinase signaling revealed decreased mobility but no increase in total Akt in glands receiving PRL. PRL did not increase phosphorylation of Thr-308 and Ser-473 residues of Akt, those most commonly associated with Akt activation. The decrease in mobility may represent phosphorylation of other sites on the Akt molecule. Surprisingly, galanin treatment alone resulted in activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, similar to PRL (Fig. 4), but in stark contrast to PRL, galanin did not induce sustained activation of the MAP kinase pathway or alter the mobility of Akt. When mammary glands were treated with galanin and PRL there were no dramatic changes to the effects produced by either hormone alone. The apparent slight diminution in pERK and increase in Akt and pAkt (Thr-308) in the figure were not consistent between experimental replicates.
We examined markers of mammary epithelial cell differentiation by Western
blot. Again as expected, mammary glands treated with PRL synthesized the milk
proteins WAP and These results show that galanin can induce epithelial cell differentiation, as measured by milk protein synthesis and the sustained activation of the JAK/STAT pathway. Whether galanin acts directly via its receptors to activate STAT5 or whether this effect is indirect remains a question for further investigation. The salient point is that galanin treatment caused sustained activation of the STAT5 pathway and cell differentiation measured by milk protein expression. In contrast, prolactin caused sustained activation the JAK/STAT and the additional activation of the MAP kinase and possibly PI 3-kinase pathways (and is known to activate these pathways directly) and induced both epithelial cell differentiation and epithelial cell proliferation. Together these hormones have a synergistic effect and allow lobuloalveolar development to proceed in vitro to a level beyond that achievable by PRL alone. In conclusion, Gal/ mammary glands show failed differentiation despite prolactin supplementation, and wild type glands in organ culture show differentiation in response to galanin alone. These observations establish galanin as a hormone with potent ability to produce differentiation of the mammary epithelium. Transcriptional Profiling of Galanin and Prolactin Induced Mammary DevelopmentTo examine the nature of the transcriptional interaction between prolactin and galanin that controls mammary gene expression during lactogenesis, we measured the transcriptional response of the cultured mammary glands shown in Fig. 4 to galanin, PRL, and PRL + galanin using the Affymetrix microarray suite and MGU74Av2 oligonucleotide GeneChips. A principal components analysis of this data is shown in Fig. 5, using a Venn diagram approach to define sets of genes that were regulated by the three treatments. The numbers of genes and identities of the genes within these sets are shown in Fig. 6.
We used principal components analysis to distinguish patterns of altered gene expression (Fig. 5). Here, genes with a decreased expression relative to IAH are colored red, and those with increased expression are colored green. No arbitrary -fold change value was applied in this analysis. It is apparent from this analysis that a strikingly complex and non-symmetrical transcriptional interaction exists between galanin and prolactin during lobuloalveolar differentiation. Three major sets of genes showed a robust response. The first major set of genes we identified comprises genes that changed expression in response to all three treatments: PRL, galanin, and PRL + galanin (Fig. 5i). The genes are thus regulated independently by galanin or PRL. Use of an arbitrary -fold change value of 1.7 reveals 136 genes (40% of all regulated genes) in this set (Fig. 6A). Genes with increased expression in this set (Fig. 6B) include markers of mammary epithelial cell differentiation, such as the milk proteins (WAP, WDMN-1, and five casein family members). Others here include CIS and SOCS2, negative regulators of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, providing functional demonstration of activation of the JAK/STAT pathway by galanin and prolactin. Genes with demonstrated roles in mammary development are also independently regulated by both galanin or PRL. These include E74-like factor 5 (Elf5), GHR, IGF-1, IGF-binding protein 5 (IGFBP-5), and helix-loop-helix protein Id2 (2, 2729). Galanin did not induce PRL or prolactin receptor gene expression, and prolactin did not regulate galanin or its receptors, excluding this simple mechanism for these transcriptional effects.
A second interesting subset of genes
(Fig. 5ii) with 14
members with a -fold change >1.7 was regulated by treatment using PRL +
galanin but not by treatment with either hormone alone, identifying a
synergistic effect of these two hormones that is consistent with the
synergistic effect of galanin and PRL on lobuloalveolar development. Almost
all genes in this set showed an increase in expression indicating an
overwhelmingly positive transcriptional effect of these hormones in synergy.
Genes in this group include platelet-derived growth factor receptor
A third major set (Fig.
5iii) contains 154 regulated genes that change greater
than 1.7-fold and is found at the intersection of the PRL and PRL + galanin
treatment groups. This group of genes are regulated by PRL regardless of the
presence of galanin. Genes in this group include procollagen I
Experiments detailed in this study show that mammary epithelial cell differentiation was impaired in galanin knockout mice and could not be rescued by prolactin supplementation that was sufficient to allow pup survival. Experiments with mammary glands in culture demonstrated that galanin alone could act directly on the mammary gland to greatly enhance cell differentiation. The combination of galanin and prolactin produced lobuloalveolar development in vitro resembling that seen in whole animals, the first demonstration in vitro of development to this extent. Galanin caused sustained activation of the STAT5 pathway whereas prolactin caused sustained activation of the STAT5, MAP kinase, and possibly Akt pathways. Analysis of the transcriptional results of this differential activation of signaling pathways showed the interaction between prolactin and galanin had independent, common, antagonistic, and synergistic components. A major finding from these experiments is that galanin exerts an endocrine effect on mammary gland development. A model of the proposed endocrine role for galanin in mammary gland development is presented in Fig. 7, where galanin is proposed to exert both indirect and direct effects. The indirect effects stem from galanin's action as a growth factor to the lactotroph, the PRL producing cells of the pituitary. Via this mechanism galanin controls the level of circulating PRL (17), which in turn acts both indirectly and directly to control ductal side branching and lobuloalveolar development, respectively (4, 5, 30). The direct effects of galanin on the mammary gland arise from its presence in the circulation, derived from both the pituitary and the placenta (20). Placental production of hormones represents a mechanism by which the developing fetus can "hijack" the maternal endocrine system to ensure its nourishment and survival (31). Our results suggest that this may be extended to the preparation of the mammary gland for lactation via the influence of placental galanin.
A second major finding from these experiments is that galanin can produce sustained activation of the STAT5 signaling pathway. This pathway is essential for lobuloalveolar development and differentiation (32) and is directly activated by receptors for prolactin, growth hormone, and epidermal growth factor (2). STAT5 also shows decreased DNA binding activity in the developmentally deficient mammary glands of Id2/ mice (28). It is clear that activation of STAT5 represents the convergence point of many different pathways critical for lobuloavleolar development. Galanin, via mechanisms that remain to be fully defined, is capable of producing sustained activation of this pathway. PRL but not galanin caused sustained activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway and reduced total MAP kinase levels. MAP kinase has a role in the regulation of cell proliferation and coordinates the mitogenic response of many growth factor-receptor tyrosine kinase-induced signaling events, many of which have a role as regulators of proliferation in the mammary gland (33). The sustained activation observed in these experiments may reflect the changes in cellular differentiation state elicited by these hormones in addition to direct effects, and so we cannot exclude the possibility that galanin causes transient MAP kinase activation or an indirect action of galanin on Stat5 phosphorylation, but regardless of this caveat these studies demonstrate that galanin alone, like prolactin alone, can cause sustained activation of STAT5 but cannot produce the sustained activation of MAP kinase produced by prolactin. Galanin therefore does not produce an ongoing and major proliferative stimulus but does produce a strong differentiation signal. This is consistent with the effects of galanin on milk protein expression and with the failure of differentiation seen in Gal/ animals. This raises the possibility that galanin may act as a tumor suppressor gene in the mammary gland. Several studies have suggested a similar role for galanin in experimental models of gastric, colon, and pancreatic cancer (3437). Further studies are currently aimed at determining whether galanin acts as a tumor suppressor in mammary carcinoma. GeneChip microarrays were used to examine changes in gene expression in the mammary gland following exposure to galanin, PRL, and galanin + PRL. A striking pattern of gene regulation was observed. The majority of regulated genes fell into three major groups. The first group showed regulation of expression by all three treatments (PRL, galanin, PRL + galanin), indicating that galanin and PRL both act to control the expression of genes in this group without interaction. From our analysis of signal transduction pathways we would expect this set to contain genes predominantly regulated via the STAT5 pathway, and this set contained the milk protein genes, markers of mammary epithelial differentiation, and known JAK/STAT target genes. This group also includes members of the growth hormone/IGF axis, GHR, IGF-1, and IGFBP-5. GHR and IGF-1 have well documented roles in the regulation of ductal growth and milk protein expression (2, 38). In whole animals galanin may regulate pituitary growth hormone synthesis and release (39, 40) with potential for the regulation of both systemic and local IGF-1 production. IGFBP-5 is a negative regulator of IGF-1 and controls apoptosis in the mammary gland (27).
The second group of genes showed regulation only in response to galanin and
prolactin, demonstrating the synergistic regulatory action of prolactin and
galanin. Presumably galanin action via its G protein-coupled receptors,
combined with the prolactin receptor-stimulated pathways, is responsible for
this synergy. Of particular interest is the synergistic induction of
PDGFR
The third main group of genes (154 genes) showed regulation of expression
by PRL independently of galanin. From our analysis of the signaling pathways
activated we would expect this group to be transcriptional targets of
sustained activation of the MAP kinase and/or PKB signaling pathways. Genes in
this group include cell adhesion molecules (procollagen I
In contrast to the large number of genes regulated by PRL regardless of
whether galanin was present (154 genes) only one gene was regulated by galanin
regardless of the presence of prolactin, and 30 genes were regulated solely by
galanin. We conclude that PRL antagonizes the regulation of a significant
number of galanin-regulated genes. For example galanin reduces the expression
of PDGFR In summary we have shown that circulating galanin can influence mammary epithelial differentiation. Galanin may be a new member of the small list of systemic hormones that control mammary gland development.
* This work was supported in part by Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program Grant DAMD 17-99-1-9185 (to C. J. O.) and by grants from the Cancer Council of New South Wales and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 The abbreviations used are: PRL, prolactin; Galr, galanin receptor; RT,
reverse transcription; GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; IAH,
insulin, aldosterone, and hydrocortisone; IGF, insulin-like growth factor;
GHR, growth hormone receptor; STAT, signal transducers and activators of
transcription; ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; JAK, Janus kinase;
MAP, mitogen-activated protein; PI, phosphatidylinositol; IGFBP, IGF-binding
protein; PDGFR, platelet-derived growth factor receptor; WAP, whey acidic
protein.
We thank Dr. Ameae Walker for the unmodified prolactin used in the osmotic pumps, K. Peters for technical assistance, and J. Harris, M. Garden-Gardner, D. Lynch, R. Lyons, S. Wittlin, and J. Visvader for informative discussion.
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