Pregnancy-induced gene expression and differentiation of mouse mammary epithelium are co-governed by Nuclear Factor IB (NFIB) and STAT5

Cytokines control the expression of common and cell-specific genes through the transcription factor STAT5. In mammary tissue specifically, expression of approximately 570 genes is induced during pregnancy by prolactin through STAT5, which binds to putative regulatory sequences. We have now asked whether mammary-specific induction of these genes can be linked to the presence of additional transcription factors, which would act in concert with STAT5. RNA-seq analysis at parturition identified 370 genes that were under NFIB control. Notably, 75% of these genes, encoding proteins linked to the differentiation of mammary epithelium, were also regulated by STAT5. This study demonstrates that the STAT5-NFIB module is an essential part of genes that define differentiation and function of the mammary gland. Expression profiling by high throughput sequencing in wild-type (WT) and Nfib-null (KO) mammary gland tissues细胞因子通过转录因子STAT5调控普通基因与细胞特异性基因的表达。具体至乳腺组织，妊娠期间约570个基因的表达可由催乳素通过STAT5诱导，该转录因子可结合至推定调控序列。本研究旨在探究上述基因的乳腺特异性诱导效应，是否与可与STAT5协同发挥作用的其他转录因子的存在相关。通过分娩期RNA-seq分析，本研究筛选出370个受NFIB调控的基因。值得注意的是，其中75%的基因编码与乳腺上皮细胞分化相关的蛋白质，且同样受STAT5调控。本研究证实，STAT5-NFIB调控模块是决定乳腺分化与功能的核心基因调控通路的重要组成部分。本研究通过高通量测序对野生型（wild-type，WT）与Nfib基因敲除（Nfib-null，KO）的乳腺组织进行了表达谱分析。