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Marsupial Milk – Identifying Signals for Regulating Mammary Function and Development of the Young

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Marsupial Genetics and Genomics

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Abstract

The role of milk in providing nutrition for the young is well established. However, it is becoming apparent that milk has a more comprehensive role in programming and regulating growth and development of the suckled young, and an autocrine impact on the mammary gland so that it functions appropriately during the lactation cycle. This central role of milk is best studied in animal models, such as marsupials that have evolved a different lactation strategy to eutherians and allow researchers to more easily identify regulatory mechanisms that are not as readily apparent in eutherian species. For example, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) has evolved with a unique reproductive strategy of a short gestation, birth of an altricial young and a relatively long lactation during which the mother progressively changes the composition of the major, and many of the minor components of milk. Thus, in contrast to eutherians, there is a far greater investment in development of the young during lactation and it is likely that many of the signals that regulate development of eutherian embryos in utero are delivered by the milk. This requires the co-ordinated development and function of the mammary gland. Inappropriate timing of these signalling events in mammals may result in either limited or abnormal development of the young, and potentially a higher incidence of mature onset disease. The tammar is emerging as an attractive model to better understand the role of milk factors in these processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Technology Research and Innovation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3214, Australia

    Julie A. Sharp, Christophe Lefevre, Laurine Buscara, Cate Pooley & Kevin R. Nicholas

  2. Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Joly Kwek, Denijal Topcic & Mary Familari

  3. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Robb de Iongh

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  1. Julie A. Sharp
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  2. Christophe Lefevre
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  5. Laurine Buscara
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  9. Kevin R. Nicholas
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Correspondence to Kevin R. Nicholas .

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  1. , Ecology, Evolution&Genetics, The Austral, ARC Centre for Excellence for Kangaroo G, Research School of Biology, building 46, Canberra ACT, 0200, Australia

    Janine E. Deakin

  2. , Ecology, Evolution&Genetics, The Austral, ARC Centre for Excellence for Kangaroo G, Research School of Biology, building 46, Canberra ACT, 0200, Australia

    Paul D. Waters

  3. , Ecology, Evolution and Genetics, ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Ge, Buidling 46, Canberra ACT, 0200, Australia

    Jennifer A. Marshall Graves

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Sharp, J.A. et al. (2010). Marsupial Milk – Identifying Signals for Regulating Mammary Function and Development of the Young. In: Deakin, J., Waters, P., Marshall Graves, J. (eds) Marsupial Genetics and Genomics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9023-2_15

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