Symposium review: Intravital imaging of the lactating mammary gland in live mice reveals novel aspects of milk-lipid secretion.

ABSTRACT: Milk fat comprises membrane-coated droplets of neutral lipid, which constitute the predominant source of lipids for survival of the suckling neonate. From the perspective of the dairy industry, they are the basis for the manufacture of butter and essential ingredients in the production of cheese, yogurt, and specialty dairy produce. To provide mechanistic insight into the assembly and secretion of lipid droplets during lactation, we developed novel intravital imaging techniques using transgenic mice, which express fluorescently tagged marker proteins. The number 4 mammary glands were surgically prepared under a deep plane of anesthesia and the exposed glands positioned as a skin flap with intact vascular supply on the stage of a laser-scanning confocal microscope. Lipid droplets were stain

SUBMITTER: Mather IH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7094374 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature