C/EBPδ is a crucial regulator of pro-apoptotic gene expression during mammary gland involution

The STAT3 transcription factor is an important initiator of mammary gland involution in the mouse. This work shows that the STAT3 target gene CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (C/EBP delta) is a crucial mediator of proapoptotic gene expression events in mammary epithelial cells. In the absence of C/EBP delta, involution is delayed, the pro-apoptotic genes encoding p53, BAK, IGFBP5 and SGP2/clusterin are not activated, while the anti-apoptotic genes coding for BFL1 and Cyclin D1 are not repressed. Consequently, p53 targets such as survivin, BRCA1, BRCA2 and BAX are not regulated appropriately and protease activation is delayed. Furthermore, expression of MMP3 and C/EBP beta during the second phase of involution is perturbed in the absence of C/EBP delta. In HC11 cells, C/EBP delta alone is sufficient to induce IGFBP5 and SGP2. It also suppresses Cyclin 131 expression and cooperates with p53 to elicit apoptosis. This study places C/EBP delta between STAT3 and several pro- and anti-apoptotic genes promoting the physiological cell death response in epithelial cells at the onset of mammary gland involution.