title: Molecular regulation of lactation: The complex and requisite roles for zinc.
abstract: Lactation provides many health benefits to the nursing infant and breastfeeding mother. In order to successfully breastfeed, the mammary gland must expand and differentiate to activate numerous processes that regulate milk production and secretion. This involves a complex series of molecular, biochemical and cellular events driven largely by lactogenic hormones. Recent advances implicate zinc as a critical modulator of mammary gland function. Here, we provide an overview of our current understanding of the role and regulation of zinc in promoting proliferation, differentiation and secretion in the mammary gland during lactation, and highlight critical gaps in knowledge.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Sooyeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; Departments of Pharmacology, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; Departments of Surgery, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. Electronic address: slk39@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kelleher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002384:Catalysis; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005089:Exocytosis; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000378:metabolism; D042361:Mammary Glands, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D057900:Transcytosis; D015032:Zinc / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D011388:Prolactin; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Differentiation; Lactation; Mammary gland; Proliferation; Secretion; Zinc