Milk fat globule membrane: formation and transformation

The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is formed by complex cell biological processes in the lactating mammary epithelial cell which result in the release of the milk fat globule (MFG) into the secretory alveolus. The MFG is bounded by a continuous unit membrane (UM), separated from the MFG lipid by a thin layer of cytoplasm. This unique apocrine secretion process has been shown in all of the mammary species so far investigated. Once the MFG is released into the alveolus there is a considerable transformation of the UM with its attached cytoplasm. This is the MFGM. The transformation is stable and expressed milk shows the same transformed MFGM structure. Again, this transformation of structure is common to all mammalian species so far investigated. However, the explanation of the transformation very much depends on the method of investigation. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies suggest a literal breakdown to a discontinuous UM plus cytoplasm in patches and strands, whereas more recent confocal laser scanning light microscopy (CLSM) studies indicate a separation, in a continuous UM, of two phases, one liquid ordered and the other liquid disordered. This review is designed to show that the TEM and CLSM results show different views of the same structures once certain deficiencies in techniques are factored in.