Expression of estrogen receptor 1 and progesterone receptor in primary goat mammary epithelial cells

The exact role and sensitivity of cells to estrogen and progesterone mediated through the steroid receptors during lactation is not known. Expression of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and progesterone receptor (PGR) was quantified in mammary tissue-derived primary goat mammary epithelial cells (pgMECs) to determine the influence of donor tissue physiology (lactating and juvenile) and cell culture growth conditions (basal and lactogenic) on ESR1 and PGR expression in the derived cells. Relative messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for both receptors were the highest in cell lines derived from mammary tissue of juvenile goats. Maintaining pgMECs in lactogenic conditions resulted in up-regulation of ESR1 (1.36- to 12.35-fold) and in down-regulation of PGR (-2.53- to -3.62-fold), compared to basal conditions. Based on Western blotting analysis we suggest that the differences in mRNA expression are translated to the protein level. We suggest that differential expression in lactating conditions is correlated with terminal differentiation of the pgMECs. Double immunostainings showed that estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) positive cells do not exclusively belong to the luminal lineage and that ER-α and PGR can be expressed individually or co-expressed in the pgMECs. The derived primary cultures/lines in early passages are hormone-responsive and represent a useful surrogate for mammary tissue in research experiments.