C/EBPδ is a crucial regulator of pro-apoptotic gene expression during mammary gland involution

Muthusamy Thangaraju, Martina Rudelius, Brian Bierie, Mark Raffeld, Shikha Sharan, Lothar Hennighausen, A. Mei Huang, Esta Sterneck

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

81 Scopus citations

Abstract

The STAT3 transcription factor is an important initiator of mammary gland involution in the mouse. This work shows that the STAT3 target gene CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (C/EBPδ) is a crucial mediator of pro-apoptotic gene expression events in mammary epithelial cells. In the absence of C/EBPδ, involution is delayed, the pro-apoptotic genes encoding p53, BAK, IGFBP5 and SGP2/clusterin are not activated, while the anti-apoptotic genes coding for BFL1 and Cyclin D1 are not repressed. Consequently, p53 targets such as survivin, BRCA1, BRCA2 and BAX are not regulated appropriately and protease activation is delayed. Furthermore, expression of MMP3 and C/EBPβ during the second phase of involution is perturbed in the absence of C/EBPδ. In HC11 cells, C/EBPδ alone is sufficient to induce IGFBP5 and SGP2. It also suppresses Cyclin D1 expression and cooperates with p53 to elicit apoptosis. This study places C/EBPδ between STAT3 and several pro- and anti-apoptotic genes promoting the physiological cell death response in epithelial cells at the onset of mammary gland involution.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4675-4685
Number of pages11
JournalDevelopment
Volume132
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2005

Keywords

  • Apoptosis
  • C/EBP
  • Involution
  • Mammary gland
  • Mouse

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology

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