Diverse myeloid cells are recruited to the developing and inflamed mammary gland

Abstract

The immune system plays fundamental roles in the mammary gland, shaping developmental processes and controlling inflammation during infection and cancer. Here we reveal unanticipated heterogeneity in the myeloid cell compartment during development of virgin, pregnant and involuting mouse mammary glands, and in milk. We investigate the functional consequences of individual and compound chemokine receptor deficiency on cell recruitment. Diverse myeloid cell recruitment was also shown in models of sterile inflammation and bacterial infection. Strikingly, we have shown that inflammation and infection can alter the abundance of terminal end buds, a key developmental structure, within the pubertal mammary gland. This previously unknown effect of inflammatory burden during puberty could have important implications for understanding the control of pubertal timing.