IgA Production in the Mammary Gland

So we use the Histochemical analysis again using mammary gland tissues which were obtained throughout the reproductive cycle. This is, again, before pregnancy, after sexual maturation. So you see, most tissues are adipose tissues and you have some structures that is mammary gland ducts. And one week before parturition that means during pregnancy the uses structures that is immature stage of mammary gland alveoli. And then after parturition, the structures developed. Then the baby started to drink milk. Then after weaning. So these six panels were used to identify when B cells or when IgA producing plasma cells are recruited in the mammary gland. So in this case, we stained the tissues which are obtained from six different stages.

Then stained with anti-IgA antibodies in order to distinguish the IgA producing cells in the tissues. So if you have IgA producing cells that are labeled as brown color Blue color means just nuclei, so you can see the structure changes. So data show you that the IgA producing cells are only accumulated two weeks after parturition. In this stage, the baby drink milk a lot. But just after parturition, you don’t see any IgA producing cells. But during pregnancy or before pregnancy, or after weaning the number of IgE producing cells are very low, almost undetectable. So meaning that, the immune cells especially B cells recognize that the mammary gland is now functioning to produce milk.

That’s why B cells decided to go to the mammary gland in order to produce the maternal IgA antibodies in the milk So we counted how much number of IgA producing cells are accumulated in the mammary gland tissues. So again, before pregnancy, which is almost cell. During pregnancy, almost cells, just after parturition, still very low. But one week, two weeks after parturition the numbers is dramatically elevated Then after weaning, it’s gone. It looks like B cells respond the maternal, was suckling the live signaling. Then they go to the mammary gland to produce milk IgA.