Physiological DNA damage promotes functional endoreplication of mammary gland alveolar cells during lactation.

Lactation insufficiency affects many women worldwide. During lactation, a large portion of mammary gland alveolar cells become polyploid, but how these cells balance the hyperproliferation occurring during normal alveologenesis with terminal differentiation required for lactation is unknown. Here, we show that DNA damage accumulates due to replication stress during pregnancy, activating the DNA damage response. Modulation of DNA damage levels in vivo by intraductal injections of nucleosides or DNA damaging agents reveals that the degree of DNA damage accumulated during pregnancy governs endoreplication and milk production. We identify a mechanism involving early mitotic arrest through CDK1 inactivation, resulting in a heterogeneous alveolar population with regards to ploidy and nuclei number. The inactivation of CDK1 is mediated by the DNA damage response kinase WEE1 with homozygous loss of Wee1 resulting in decreased endoreplication, alveologenesis and milk production. Thus, we propose that the DNA damage response to replication stress couples proliferation and endoreplication during mammary gland alveologenesis. Our study sheds light on mechanisms governing lactogenesis and identifies non-hormonal means for increasing milk production.

Alveolar progenitor differentiation and lactation depends on paracrine inhibition of notch via ROBO1/CTNNB1/JAG1.

In the mammary gland, how alveolar progenitor cells are recruited to fuel tissue growth with each estrus cycle and pregnancy remains poorly understood. Here, we identify a regulatory pathway that controls alveolar progenitor differentiation and lactation by governing Notch activation in mouse. Loss of Robo1 in the mammary gland epithelium activates Notch signaling, which expands the alveolar progenitor cell population at the expense of alveolar differentiation, resulting in compromised lactation. ROBO1 is expressed in both luminal and basal cells, but loss of Robo1 in basal cells results in the luminal differentiation defect. In the basal compartment, ROBO1 inhibits the expression of Notch ligand Jag1 by regulating ß-catenin (CTNNB1), which binds the Jag1 promoter. Together, our studies reveal how ROBO1/CTTNB1/JAG1 signaling in the basal compartment exerts paracrine control of Notch signaling in the luminal compartment to regulate alveolar differentiation during pregnancy.

Comparison of effectiveness of cefovecin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin for the treatment of experimentally induced early Lyme borreliosis in dogs.

BACKGROUND: While Koch's postulates have been fulfilled for Lyme disease; causing transient fever, anorexia and arthritis in young dogs; treatment of sero-positive dogs, especially asymptomatic animals, remains a topic of debate. To complicate this matter the currently recommended antibiotic treatments of Lyme Disease in dogs caused by Borrelia burgdorferi require daily oral administrations for 31 days or longer, which makes non-compliance a concern. Additionally, there is no approved veterinary antimicrobial for the treatment of Lyme Disease in dogs in the USA and few recommended treatments have been robustly tested. In vitro testing of cefovecin, a novel extended-spectrum cephalosporin, demonstrated inhibition of spirochete growth. A small pilot study in dogs indicated that two cefovecin injections two weeks apart would be as efficacious against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto as the recommended treatments using doxycycline or amoxicillin daily for 31 days. This hypothesis was tested in 17-18 week old Beagle dogs, experimentally infected with B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, using wild caught ticks, 75 days prior to antimicrobial administration. RESULTS: Clinical observations for lameness were performed daily but were inconclusive as this characteristic sign of Lyme Disease rarely develops in the standard laboratory models of experimentally induced infection. However, each antibiotic tested was efficacious against B. burgdorferi as measured by a rapid elimination of spirochetes from the skin and reduced levels of circulating antibodies to B. burgdorferi. In addition, significantly less cefovecin treated animals had Lyme Disease associated histopathological changes compared to untreated dogs. CONCLUSIONS: Convenia was efficacious against B. burgdorferi sensu stricto infection in dogs as determined by serological testing, PCR and histopathology results. Convenia provides an additional and effective treatment option for Lyme Disease in dogs.

In vitro functional characterization of feline IgGs.

Very little is known about the functional properties of feline IgGs. Here we report the in vitro characterization of cloned feline IgGs. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and full-length PCR of cat splenic cDNA were used to identify feline sequences encoding IgG heavy chain constant regions (IGHC). Two of the sequences are possibly allelic and have been previously reported in the literature as the only feline IgG, IgG1. Although we confirmed these alleles to be highly abundant (∼98%), analysis of numerous amplification products revealed an additional sequence (∼2%). We cloned and characterized chimeric monoclonal antibodies with each of these heavy chains. Using RACE we revealed the sequences for feline Fc gamma receptor I (FcγRI) and feline Fc neonatal receptor (FcRn). We constructed these recombinant receptors as well as fFcγRIII and determined their binding affinities to the chimeras. All of the chimeras bound to Protein A but not to Protein G, and bound tightly to fFcRn (KD=2-5 nM). Both IgG1 alleles have a high affinity for fFcγRI (KD=10-20 nM), they bind to the low-affinity fFcγRIII receptor (2-4 µM), and also bind to human complement C1q. Thus, feline IgG1a and 1b are expected to induce strong effector function in vivo. The additional IgG detected does not bind to recombinant fFcγRI or fFcγRIII and has negligible binding to hC1q. Consequently, although this putative subclass is projected to have a similar serum half-life as the IgG1 alleles based on comparable in vitro affinity to FcRn, it may not elicit the effector responses mediated by fFcγRI or fFcγRIII. Further testing with native receptors and functional cell-based assays would confirm effector function capabilities of feline IgG subclasses; however this is the first report characterizing affinities of feline IgGs to their Fc receptors and helps pave the way for construction of feline-specific IgGs for therapeutic use.

Transfer of Bacteroides splanchnicus to Odoribacter gen. nov. as Odoribacter splanchnicus comb. nov., and description of Odoribacter denticanis sp. nov., isolated from the crevicular spaces of canine periodontitis patients.

Numerous novel anaerobic bacteria were isolated from the crevicular spaces of dogs with periodontitis. The phenotypic characteristics of these bacterial isolates indicated that they were similar to members of the genus Porphyromonas. However, comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates indicated that they were related to members of the Bacteroides splanchnicus subgroup. A representative of the novel isolates, strain B106(T), induced alveolar bone loss in a mouse model of experimental periodontal disease. Based on biochemical, morphological, molecular phylogenetic, and pathogenic evidence, it is proposed that the taxonomic subgroup containing these novel isolates and B. splanchnicus should be classified in a new genus, Odoribacter gen. nov., within the family 'Porphyromonadaceae'. In addition, it is proposed that B. splanchnicus should be reclassified as Odoribacter splanchnicus comb. nov., and that the newly identified isolates should be classified as representing Odoribacter denticanis sp. nov., the type strain of which is B106(T) (=ATCC PTA-3625(T)=CNCM I-3225(T)).