Saturday, October 29, 2011
Hall 1-2 (San Jose Convention Center)
Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that has been implicated in many pathways ranging from glucose metabolism to cancer. During pregnancy, hormones, growth factors, and cytokines are up-regulated for breast development and this process is also found in tumorigenesis. The role of adiponectin was investigated in epithelial cells in normal breast development to better understand this hormone. Murine tissue samples from the lactation stage were cultured with or without lactogenic hormones (insulin, hydrocortisone, and prolactin (IHP)) and with or without adiponectin (AdipoQ) to determine if the process of apoptosis could be induced in vitro. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) and Bcl-2–associated X protein (Bax) are molecular indicators of apoptotic events. Both Stat3 and Bax were investigated to ascertain the levels of concentration during culture because of their role in apoptosis. Stat3 was significantly increased in the absence of IHP (IHP-/AdipoQ+) compared to co-treatment IHP+/AdipoQ+ (P<0.05), and Bax also reflected a similar trend (p<0.05). These data suggest that AdipoQ may be involved in the apoptosis of mammary epithelial cells.