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Breastmilk Imparts the Mother's Stem Cells to the Infant
Author(s) -
Hassiotou Foteini,
Mobley Angela,
Geddes Donna,
Hartmann Peter,
Wilkie Thomas
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.876.8
Subject(s) - offspring , stem cell , medicine , biology , physiology , pregnancy , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
We sought to examine the fate of breastmilk stem cells in the breastfed offspring. A mouse model was used to test tissue distribution and latency of milk stem cells in neonates, weanlings and adult offspring. Wild‐type pups were cross‐fostered by mothers ubiquitously expressing TdTomato (TdT). Pups were analyzed at regular intervals during and after the suckling period. Blood and tissues were assayed using flow cytometry and confocal imaging. Blood of fostered offspring contained on average ~0.1% of TdT+ milk‐derived cells during the breastfeeding period. In adult mice that were cross‐fostered as pups, a lower frequency of TdT+ could be detected 1‐2 months after weaning. Confocal imaging of immuno‐stained organs of the cross‐fostered pups revealed TdT+ cells in the stomach, thymus, liver, pancreas, spleen, and brain. Some TdT+ cells expressed stem cell markers OCT4, NANOG and CD49f. Staining with thymic‐specific antibodies revealed TdT+ milk‐derived claudin+ thymic medullary epithelial cells, and fascin+ thymic cortical dendritic cells in the thymus. These thymic cells may have differentiated from milk‐derived stem cells. In the same pups, TdT/CD45 positive cells were also found in the thymus, which were most likely milk‐derived immune cells that migrated to the thymus. In the liver, we observed clones of albumin/alpha‐fetoprotein/RAB13/M2PK positive milk‐derived cells. In the brain, single TdT/MAP2 positive cells were found. Our studies provide the first evidence suggesting migration and functional integration of native milk stem cells to organs of the neonate.