title: Loss of IL-10 decreases mouse postpubertal mammary gland development in the absence of inflammation.
abstract: IL-10 is a pleiotrophic anti-inflammatory cytokine. Decreased IL-10 expression is associated with an increased breast cancer risk but the mechanism is not clear. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the loss of IL-10 alters mammary development, even in the absence of inflammation. Wild-type and IL-10-/- mouse littermates were similar in growth, development, and breeding success. Using whole-mounts and paraffin sections, mammary glands from pre-pubertal mice (d21) were found to not be affected by the IL-10 null genotype. However, after the onset of estrous cycling, ductal structure, but not lymph nodes or adipocytes, of IL-10 knockout mice were found to moderately decrease at day 55, 80, and 150 of age. This phenotype was not rescued by lactogenesis. At day 2 of lactation, IL-10 null mice had reduced lobular complexity and glandular area with the retention of adipocytes. These results support the hypothesis that absence of IL-10 reduces glandular development during postnatal development, at maturity, and during the early stages of lactation. Although our study cannot distinguish between a direct IL-10 effect on the epithelial cells and an indirect systemic effect, epithelial cell responses to IL-10 should be considered in the therapeutic applications of cytokines or cytokine ablation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Masso-Welch
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Merhige
authors.forename: Omkara Lakshmi M
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Veeranki
authors.forename: Shiu-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000254:growth & development*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016753:Interleukin-10