Reversible transdifferentiation of secretory epithelial cells into adipocytes in the mammary gland

Abstract

Mammalian breast adipose tissue is replaced by a milk-secreting gland during pregnancy; the reverse process takes place upon interruption of lactation. Morphological and bromodeoxyuridine studies provide indirect evidence that mouse mammary adipocytes transform into secretory epithelial cells during pregnancy and revert to adipocytes after lactation. By using the Cre-loxP recombination system we show that the mammary gland of whey acidic protein (WAP)- Cre / R26R mice, in which secretory epithelial cells express the lacZ gene during pregnancy, contains labeled adipocytes during involution. Conversely, adipocyte P2- Cre / R26R mice, in which adipocytes are labeled before pregnancy, contain labeled secretory epithelial cells during pregnancy. We conclude that reversible adipocyte-to-epithelium and epithelium-to-adipocyte transdifferentiation occurs in the mammary gland of adult mice during pregnancy and lactation.