Mammary gland development commences during embryogenesis with the establishment of a species typical number of mammary primordia on each flank of the embryo. It is thought that mammary cell fate can only be induced along the mammary line, a narrow region of the ventro-lateral skin running from the axilla to the groin. Ectodysplasin (Eda) is a tumor necrosis factor family ligand that regulates m...

The role of parity before and after N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) treatment in protection against mammary carcinogenesis was investigated. The effect of lactation on reduction in the incidence of mammary carcinoma was also examined. Parous rats were compared with respective age-matched virgins (AMVs). Pregnancy and lactation prior to MNU exposure significantly reduced both the incidence of mamma...

Loss of Tsc1/Tsc2 results in excess cell growth that eventually forms hamartoma in multiple organs. Our study using a mouse model with Tsc1 conditionally knockout in mammary epithelium showed that Tsc1 deficiency impaired mammary development. Phosphorylated S6 was up-regulated in Tsc1(-/-) mammary epithelium, which could be reversed by rapamycin, suggesting that mTORC1 was hyperactivated in Tsc...

Inclusion internal mammary lymph nodes as a part of regional nodal irradiation have a potential to reduce local recurrence, distant recurrence, and improve survival in breast cancer. However, the increased risk of cardiac toxicity and lungs injure associated with internal mammary lymph nodes irradiation has drew more and more attention. Estimating risk of metastasis in internal mammary lymph no...

BACKGROUND Paget's disease is a rare skin disorder occurring in the breast (mammary) or in the groin, genital, peri-anal and axillary regions (extra-mammary). Typical treatment involves surgical excision, which in the case of extra-mammary Paget's disease, can lead to significant morbidity. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) which uses a topical or intravenous photosensitizing agent that is activated b...

We have studied the role of the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p27(Kip1) in postnatal mammary gland morphogenesis. Based on its ability to negatively regulate cyclin/Cdk function, loss of p27 may result in unrestrained cellular proliferation. However, recent evidence about the stabilizing effect of p27 on cyclin D1-Cdk4 complexes suggests that p27 deficiency might recapitulate the hypo...

The heterocyclic amines (HCAs) found in cooked meat are procarcinogens that are metabolically activated by N-hydroxylation followed by O-acetylation by the N-acetyltransferases NAT1 and NAT2. Despite the importance of metabolic activation in HCA carcinogenicity and the finding that several HCAs are rodent mammary gland carcinogens, nothing was known about O-acetylation activity in the human mam...

We have demonstrated and localized human GH (hGH) gene expression in surgical specimens of normal human mammary gland and in proliferative disorders of the mammary gland of increasing severity using sensitive in situ RT-PCR methodology. hGH mRNA identical to pituitary hGH mRNA was first detected by RT-PCR of RNA derived from samples of normal human mammary gland. Cellular localization of hGH ge...

Epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk is essential for tissue morphogenesis, but incompletely understood. Postnatal mammary gland development requires epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its ligand amphiregulin (AREG), which generally must be cleaved from its transmembrane form in order to function. As the transmembrane metalloproteinase ADAM17 can process AREG in culture and Adam17(-/-) mic...

The importance of prolactin (PRL) in regulating growth and differentiation of the mammary gland is well known. However, it is not well established whether PRL acts solely on the mammary epithelia or if it can also directly affect the mammary stroma. To determine where PRL could exert its effects within the mammary gland, we investigated the levels of expression and the localization of the PRL r...