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Multiscale activity imaging in the mammary gland reveals how oxytocin enables lactation

Alexander J. Stevenson, Gilles Vanwalleghem, Teneale A. Stewart, Nicholas D. Condon, Bethan Lloyd-Lewis, Natascia Marino, James W. Putney, Ethan K. Scott, Adam D. Ewing, View ORCID ProfileFelicity M. Davis
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/657510
Alexander J. Stevenson
Mater Research Institute-The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaTranslational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Gilles Vanwalleghem
School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Teneale A. Stewart
Mater Research Institute-The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaTranslational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Nicholas D. Condon
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Bethan Lloyd-Lewis
Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, 75248 Paris, France
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Natascia Marino
Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at IU Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, USADepartment of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA
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James W. Putney
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Ethan K. Scott
School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaQueensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Adam D. Ewing
Mater Research Institute-The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaTranslational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Felicity M. Davis
Mater Research Institute-The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaTranslational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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  • ORCID record for Felicity M. Davis
  • For correspondence: f.davis@uq.edu.au
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Abstract

The mammary epithelium is indispensable for the continued survival of more than 5000 mammalian species. For some, the volume of milk ejected in a single day exceeds their entire blood volume. Here, we unveil the spatiotemporal properties of physiological signals that orchestrate milk ejection. Using quantitative, multidimensional imaging of mammary cell ensembles, we reveal how stimulus-evoked Ca2+ oscillations couple to contraction in basal epithelial cells. Moreover, we show that Ca2+-dependent contractions generate the requisite force to physically-deform the innermost layer of luminal cells, forcing them to discharge the fluid that they produced and housed. Through the collective action of thousands of these biological positive-displacement pumps, each linked to a contractile ductal network, milk is delivered into the mouth of the dependent neonate, seconds after the command.

One Sentence Summary This study provides a window into the organization, dynamics and role of epithelial Ca2+ responses in the organ principally responsible for sustaining neonatal life in mammals.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted June 03, 2019.
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Multiscale activity imaging in the mammary gland reveals how oxytocin enables lactation
Alexander J. Stevenson, Gilles Vanwalleghem, Teneale A. Stewart, Nicholas D. Condon, Bethan Lloyd-Lewis, Natascia Marino, James W. Putney, Ethan K. Scott, Adam D. Ewing, Felicity M. Davis
bioRxiv 657510; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/657510
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Multiscale activity imaging in the mammary gland reveals how oxytocin enables lactation
Alexander J. Stevenson, Gilles Vanwalleghem, Teneale A. Stewart, Nicholas D. Condon, Bethan Lloyd-Lewis, Natascia Marino, James W. Putney, Ethan K. Scott, Adam D. Ewing, Felicity M. Davis
bioRxiv 657510; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/657510

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