Binuclear Cells in the Lactating Mammary Gland: New Insights on an Old Concept?

Gilbert H. Smith

In a recent paper (Rios et al. Nat Commun. 7:11400, 2016), it was reported that polyploid cells are frequent in lactating mammary tissues. This phenomenon was observed in mammary tissue sampled from five separate mammalian species. According to that report, these binucleated cells occur late in pregnancy and early in lactation. Unfortunately, this paper did not mention a number of earlier observations and findings that remain pertinent to this day (Banerjee et al. Life sciences Pt 2: Biochemistry, general and molecular biology. 10(15):867-77, 1971; Banerjee MR, Wagner JE. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 49(2):480-7, 1972). In these classical experiments, the authors demonstrated in vivo that DNA synthesis continued without commensurate cell division during late pregnancy and lactation, and that this DNA synthesis was imperative for functional differentiation of the mammary epithelium. Later studies showed that DNA synthesis was indispensable to the induction of milk protein production in explant cultures of mammary tissue from unprimed, nulliparous mice. This dependence on DNA synthesis in mammary explant cultures stimulated by lactogenic hormones was found to be dispensable following a single pregnancy. The absolute requirement for DNA synthesis in nulliparous mouse mammary explants stimulated to synthesize milk protein in vitro has remained unexplained, as has the need for DNA synthesis prior to the onset of lactation. From a historical perspective, it is more likely that binuclear secretory cells in the lactating mammary gland are a consequence of the DNA synthesis requirement for lactation, rather than an essential element.