Posted on 04/23/2016 3:14:34 PM PDT by smokingfrog
One of the secrets to rich milk production in lactation has been uncovered by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Their studies have revealed that breast cells develop two nuclei as the breast switches on lactation to nurture the newborn.
This change begins to occur in late pregnancy with the generation of vast numbers of cells with two nuclei.
The research was led by Professor Jane Visvader, Professor Geoff Lindeman, Dr Anne Rios and Dr Nai Yang Fu, from the institute's ACRF Stem Cells and Cancer Division, and shows that these cells with two nuclei disappear at the cessation of lactation, when breast cells return to a single nucleus state. It is published today in the journal Nature Communications.
Using unique 3-D imaging technology Dr Rios and Dr Fu found huge numbers of cells became binucleated -- developed a second nucleus -- a process that is critical to milk production.
Professor Visvader said the process -- which lasts only for the duration of lactation -- was important for the newborn to thrive when breast milk was the sole nutrient.
"We know that these cells are milk-producing factories," Professor Visvader said. "What is interesting to find is they change according to a very tightly regulated regime -- they develop two nuclei, not three of four and then return to one nucleus after lactation. Presumably this is important to avoid mishaps."
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
You must be a Grant writer....
According to my Dr. Dung Flung, I became a vegetarian because I sucked hind tit when I was young. Go green!
I cannot help myself, it is regimen not regime. You would think a science writer might know the difference.
I believe either could be correct.
Binucleated?
Whoo do I sue? Is there a cure?
A HUgh development binucletally speaking, of course. Wow.
Nat Commun. 2016 Apr 22;7:11400. doi: 10.1038/ncomms11400.
Essential role for a novel population of binucleated mammary epithelial cells in lactation.
Rios AC1,2, Fu NY1,2, Jamieson PR1, Pal B1,2, Whitehead L3, Nicholas KR4, Lindeman GJ1,5,6, Visvader JE1,2.
Abstract
The mammary gland represents a unique tissue to study organogenesis as it predominantly develops in the post-natal animal and undergoes dramatic morphogenetic changes during puberty and the reproductive cycle. The physiological function of the mammary gland is to produce milk to sustain the newborn. Here we view the lactating gland through three-dimensional confocal imaging of intact tissue. We observed that the majority of secretory alveolar cells are binucleated. These cells first arise in very late pregnancy due to failure of cytokinesis and are larger than mononucleated cells. Augmented expression of Aurora kinase-A and Polo-like kinase-1 at the lactogenic switch likely mediates the formation of binucleated cells. Our findings demonstrate an important physiological role for polyploid mammary epithelial cells in lactation, and based on their presence in five different species, suggest that binucleated cells evolved to maximize milk production and promote the survival of offspring across all mammalian species.
Does she look she cross-eyed? Or is it just me....!
I've stared cross eyed at her enough to know about her...eyes
I wonder if, when this process of bi-nucleation is thwarted in abortion, there is a mechanism triggered for breast cancer?
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Interesting
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