Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine IL-10 and Mammary Gland Development

摘要

This investigation seeks to determine the relationship between anti- inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and mammary gland development. To achieve this goal, the authors propose to compare mammary glands from wild type and IL-10 knockout female mice at different stages of development: at day 21, day 55, day 80, day 150, and 2 days after giving birth. There are two major tasks: to breed and raise wild type and IL-10 knockout female mice by mating IL-10 heterozygous females with IL-10 heterozygous males, and to develop essential techniques for mammary gland analysis so that they can compare mammary glands at the different stages of development. The University of Buffalo lab animal specific pathogen- free facility (where the experimental mice are housed) went through a major renovation in the summer/fall of 2006, and through a major reorganization of animal care in Feb-May of 2007. Since then, the authors have started the intensive breeding required for the project. Of the 110 female mice that are needed for various life stages in the study, they now have 20. Breeding and PCR genotyping are being carried out continuously to generate the remaining experimental mice. The authors have established all the techniques that are needed for mammary gland analysis, including laboratory protocols for whole mount preparation and the preparation of paraffin sections of mammary gland. As soon as the experimental mice reach the desired age, which varies from 21 days to 150 days, they will begin preparing and analyzing their mammary glands.