Figure 4

Loss of MerTK, but not Axl or Tyro3, causes post-lactational pathologies that prevent lactation following second pregnancy. A. Low-power magnification of H&E-stained section of WT, mertk^-/- and Axl^-/-Tyro3^-/- mammary glands harvested at 60 dpfw, demonstrating the tissue-wide extent of the pathological changes occurring in MerTK-deficient samples. Arrows indicate milk-filled distended lumens in mertk^-/- samples. B. At 60 dpfw, mice were impregnated for a second time. Mammary glands shown here were harvested at lactation day 1. Note the incomplete development of the lobuloalveolar epithelium in MerTK-deficient samples.