Conditional Deletion of Shp2 in the Mammary Gland Leads to Impaired Lobulo-alveolar Outgrowth and Attenuated Stat5 Activation

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 281; no. 45; pp. 34374 - 34380
• Main Authors: Ke, Yuehai, Lesperance, Jacqueline, Zhang, Eric E., Bard-Chapeau, Emilie A., Oshima, Robert G., Muller, William J., Feng, Gen-Sheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 10-11-2006; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Down-Regulation; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - pathology; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Genotype; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - genetics; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - physiology; Lactation; Mammary Glands, Animal - cytology; Mammary Glands, Animal - growth & development; Mammary Glands, Animal - metabolism; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 - metabolism; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 - metabolism; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pregnancy; Prolactin - metabolism; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 11; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases - genetics; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases - physiology; Sequence Deletion; STAT3 Transcription Factor - genetics; STAT3 Transcription Factor - metabolism; STAT5 Transcription Factor - genetics; STAT5 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Transgenes
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M607325200

Stat5 and Stat3, two members of the Stat (signal transducer and activator of transcription) family, are known to play critical roles in mammopoiesis/lactogenesis and involution, respectively, in the mammary gland. Phosphotyrosine phosphatase Shp2 has been shown to dephosphorylate and thus inactivate both Stat5 and Stat3 in vitro. Paradoxically, cell culture studies also suggest a positive role of Shp2 in promoting prolactin-stimulated Stat5 activation. We have shown here that selective deletion of Shp2 in mouse mammary glands suppresses Stat5 activity during pregnancy and lactation, resulting in significant impairment of lobulo-alveolar outgrowth and lactation. In contrast, Stat3 activity was slightly up-regulated shortly before/at involution, leading to normal epithelial cell apoptosis/involution in Shp2-deficient mammary gland. Thus, Shp2 acts to promote Stat5 activation by the JAK2·prolactin receptor complex, while negatively modulating Stat3 activity before the onset of involution. This is the first demonstration that Shp2 manipulates Stat5 and Stat3 activities reciprocally in mammary epithelial cells, providing novel insight into the complex mechanisms for regulation of various Stat family members by a cytoplasmic tyrosine phosphatase.