Prolactin-induced AMPK stabilizes alveologenesis and lactogenesis through regulation of STAT5 signaling

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase that regulates energy homeostasis at cellular and organismal levels. It has been shown to affect several steps of breast cancer progression in a context-dependent manner. However, its role in normal mammary gland development and physiology remains ill-explored. Here, we show that AMPK expression and activity increased within murine mammary epithelia from puberty to pregnancy with highest levels during lactation, and then declined during involution. In ex vivo cultures of mammary epithelial cells (MECs) in organotypic scaffolds, treatment with lactogenic hormone prolactin (PRL) enhanced AMPK expression and activity. To understand the role of AMPK on mammary morphogenesis in vivo , we generated mice with conditional knockout of AMPKα isoforms α1 and α2 (AMPKα KO) in MECs. AMPKα KO mammary glands showed accelerated alveolar development with increased epithelial content of both luminal and myoepithelial lineages, suggestive of hyperproliferation. AMPKα KO mice also showed elevated beta-casein expression during pregnancy and lactation. These observations were phenocopied upon treatment of ex vivo cultivated wild-type MECs with a cognate AMPK inhibitor. AMPKα null MECs showed increased phosphorylated STAT5 which is known to drive alveologenesis downstream of prolactin signaling. Our study identifies a novel interplay between AMPK and PRL-STAT5 signaling that determines mammary alveologenesis and differentiation.