<p> Remodeling of the mouse mammary gland is a highly coordinated process that occurs after the removal of suckling pups from the mother. Involution, or shrinking of the mammary gland, after removal of the pups has been linked to apoptotic events within the mouse mammary tissue during forced weaning. Several transcription factors are hypothesized to be involved in this process. A transcription factor known as GATA-3, which was first identified in the thymus, is also important for maintenance of various tissue types within the mouse mammary gland; its loss leads to epithelial cell detachment and eventual death. Another transcription factor known as fetal zinc liver finger protein 1, or Fliz1, has been found to regulate GATA-3 in T-cells. This interaction had not been elucidated during involution in mouse mammary tissue. I hypothesized that Fliz1 is expressed at heightened levels during mouse mammary gland involution following forced weaning of pups, and that this expression correlates with a decrease in GATA-3 levels, with increased expression of the pro-apoptotic protein BAD. Using qRT-PCR, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry I have shown that Fliz1 is indeed expressed in involuting mouse mammary gland tissue as well as several other tissue types. However, levels of Fliz1 remain fairly constant during involution. The findings also show that Cathepsin L, a known apoptotic marker for mammary gland involution, is substantially up-regulated during the process of mammary gland involution in the mouse. The study also revealed that GATA-3 levels as hypothesized decrease substantially during the process of mouse mammary gland involution, indicating that GATA-3 is required for maintenance of the mouse mammary gland.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1565164 |
| Date | 24 October 2014 |
| Creators | Anderson, Torri R. |
| Publisher | Villanova University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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