Notch ligand Dll1 mediates cross-talk between mammary stem cells and the macrophageal niche. Author Rumela Chakrabarti, Toni Celià -Terrassa, Sushil Kumar, Xiang Hang, Yong Wei, Abrar Choudhury, Julie Hwang, Jia Peng, Briana Nixon, John Grady, Christina DeCoste, Jie Gao, Johan van Es, Ming Li, Iannis Aifantis, Hans Clevers, Yibin Kang Publication Year 2018 Type Journal Article Abstract The stem cell niche is a specialized environment that dictates stem cell function during development and homeostasis. We show that Dll1, a Notch pathway ligand, is enriched in mammary gland stem cells (MaSCs) and mediates critical interactions with stromal macrophages in the surrounding niche in mouse models. Conditional deletion of Dll1 reduced the number of MaSCs and impaired ductal morphogenesis in the mammary gland. Moreover, MaSC-expressed Dll1 activates Notch signaling in stromal macrophages, increasing their expression of Wnt family ligands such as Wnt3, Wnt10A, and Wnt16, thereby initiating a feedback loop that promotes the function of Dll1-expressing MaSCs. Together, these findings reveal functionally important cross-talk between MaSCs and their macrophageal niche through Dll1-mediated Notch signaling. Keywords Animals, Morphogenesis, Mice, Signal Transduction, Ligands, Cell Count, Female, Mice, Knockout, Receptors, Notch, Stem Cells, Calcium-Binding Proteins, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Macrophages, Mammary Glands, Animal, Gene Knockout Techniques, Wnt Proteins, Stem Cell Niche, Stromal Cells Journal Science Volume 360 Issue 6396 Date Published 2018 Jun 29 ISSN Number 1095-9203 DOI 10.1126/science.aan4153 Alternate Journal Science PMCID PMC7881440 PMID 29773667 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML