Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland
Published on: December 1, 2015
Saturated fatty acids stimulate and insulin suppresses CIDE-A expression in bovine mammary epithelial cells
Tomo Yonezawa1, Satoshi Haga, Yosuke Kobayashi
1Department of Animal Physiology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Amamiyamachi, Sendai 981-8555, Japan. yonet2301@yahoo.co.jp
Abstract:
Cell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor-alpha-like effector A (CIDE-A) was first identified by its sequence homology with the N-terminal domain of DNA fragmentation factor (DFF). CIDE-A negatively regulates the activity of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in brown adipose tissue. CIDE-A and UCP1 mRNA were detected by RT-PCR in cloned bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMEC) and lactating bovine mammary glands. Physiological concentrations of saturated fatty acids (stearate and palmitate), but not unsaturated fatty acids (oleate and linoleate) induced up-regulation of CIDE-A mRNA in bMEC. Treatment with insulin (5-10 ng/ml) induced down-regulation of CIDE-A and UCP1. The expression levels of CIDE-A and UCP1 mRNA in bovine mammary glands at various stages of the lactation cycle were determined by quantitative RT-PCR analysis. CIDE-A mRNA expression at peak lactation (2 months after parturition) was significantly higher than at dry off and non-pregnancy but not late lactation. These results suggest that CIDE-A and UCP1 are regulated by insulin and/or fatty acids in mammary epithelial cells and lactating mammary glands, and thereby play an important role in lipid and energy metabolism.
Related Concept Videos
Insulin Secretory Vesicles
Cell Specific Gene Expression
Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways
Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion
Insulin and C-peptide are co-secreted in...
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
Target Cell Response to Hormones
Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...

