Abstract #303
Section: Lactation Biology (orals)
Session: Lactation Biology Symposium: Refining the Old to Answer the New: Moving Approaches Forward to Study Mammary and Lactation Physiology
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Tuesday 2:00 PM–2:45 PM
Location: Junior Ballroom C
Session: Lactation Biology Symposium: Refining the Old to Answer the New: Moving Approaches Forward to Study Mammary and Lactation Physiology
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Tuesday 2:00 PM–2:45 PM
Location: Junior Ballroom C
# 303
A comparative multi-species approach to improve our understanding of mammary gland biology.
G. R. Van de Walle*1, 1Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Speaker Bio
A comparative multi-species approach to improve our understanding of mammary gland biology.
G. R. Van de Walle*1, 1Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Mammary stem/progenitor cells (MaSC) in non-mouse, non-human species are considerably understudied. Interspecies variation in lactation strategies and mammary cancer incidence, combined with the role of MaSC in normal mammary gland function, warrants a comparative study of these cells from various mammalian species. Our laboratory has developed a method for the enrichment of MaSC from virtually any mammal. This method is antibody-independent, uses a small volume of fresh tissue, and consists on propagating freshly isolated mammary cells as mammospheres in suspension culture. We found that the ability to form mammospheres is conserved among the mammalian species we tested thus far, including domesticated and wild animals. Moreover, the cells derived from these mammospheres (which we term mammosphere-derived epithelial cells or MDEC) share several key properties: they express markers of stem-like mammary cells in culture, form at least 2 types of morphologically distinct clones in culture, and contain a population of mammosphere-reforming cells. Recent studies have shown that the cellular secretome, comprised of secreted soluble factors and factors secreted in vesicles, plays an important role in various physiological processes such as cellular cross-talk and tissue regeneration. While studying the secretome of MDEC isolated from various domesticated mammals, several interesting observations were made. For example, we identified a novel form of intercellular communication between MDEC from canine and equine origin that plays an important role in self-renewal and relies on microvesicle-mediated Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. We also found that the secretome from bovine MDEC promotes angiogenesis, epithelial cell migration, and contains factors associated with defense and immunity; all of which are necessary for healing damaged mammary gland tissue. Finally, our group has initiated studies in which to compare the behavior of MDEC from mammary cancer-susceptible and cancer-resistant species, both at baseline as well as in response to pro-tumorigenic stimuli, in order to gain new insight into the mechanisms of breast cancer susceptibility and resistance.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Van de Walle was awarded her DVM degree in 1999 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium, and four years later, received her PhD in veterinary virology, from the same institution.
Between 2003 and 2009, Dr. Van de Walle focused primarily on herpesvirus pathogenesis, completing postdoctoral studies in several labs in Belgium, as well as spending two years at Cornell University, working on equine herpesvirus. Upon her return to Belgium, Dr. Van de Walle returned to the Department of Virology as a postdoctoral research fellow, and in 2010, became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics. While engaged as a docent, she became involved in characterizing adult stem cell populations in veterinary species. This stem cell work led Dr. Van de Walle to establish her research program with a dual focus in infectious diseases and stem cell biology.
In 2013, Dr. Van de Walle was offered a position as Assistant Professor at the Baker Institute for Animal Health and in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where she has established her research lab working in the fields of Virology and Stem Cell Biology. In 2016, she was awarded the Zoetis Animal Health Award for Research Excellence, and in 2017 was named the Harry M. Zweig Assistant Professor in Equine Health for her research on diseases important to horses. In the fall of 2018, Dr. Van de Walle was promoted to Associate Professor with indefinite tenure at Cornell.
Dr. Van de Walle has published over 87 papers in peer-reviewed journals thus far and has presented at national and international conferences. She is a reviewer for several journals, is the Deputy Section Editor of veterinary DNA viruses for the Virology Journal, and an ad hoc grant reviewer for several agencies.
Between 2003 and 2009, Dr. Van de Walle focused primarily on herpesvirus pathogenesis, completing postdoctoral studies in several labs in Belgium, as well as spending two years at Cornell University, working on equine herpesvirus. Upon her return to Belgium, Dr. Van de Walle returned to the Department of Virology as a postdoctoral research fellow, and in 2010, became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics. While engaged as a docent, she became involved in characterizing adult stem cell populations in veterinary species. This stem cell work led Dr. Van de Walle to establish her research program with a dual focus in infectious diseases and stem cell biology.
In 2013, Dr. Van de Walle was offered a position as Assistant Professor at the Baker Institute for Animal Health and in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where she has established her research lab working in the fields of Virology and Stem Cell Biology. In 2016, she was awarded the Zoetis Animal Health Award for Research Excellence, and in 2017 was named the Harry M. Zweig Assistant Professor in Equine Health for her research on diseases important to horses. In the fall of 2018, Dr. Van de Walle was promoted to Associate Professor with indefinite tenure at Cornell.
Dr. Van de Walle has published over 87 papers in peer-reviewed journals thus far and has presented at national and international conferences. She is a reviewer for several journals, is the Deputy Section Editor of veterinary DNA viruses for the Virology Journal, and an ad hoc grant reviewer for several agencies.
