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...

8 In the mammary gland, vimentin intermediate filaments are expressed in stromal cells and 9 in basal epithelial cell populations including gland-reconstituting mammary stem cells 10 (MaSC), with largely undefined functions. Here, we studied how vimentin deficiency affects 11 mouse mammary gland development. Our results demonstrate that in adult vimentin 12 knockout mice (Vim-/-) mammary ductal...

To understand molecular mechanisms involved in bovine mammary gland growth, expression of stat5a gene was examined in bovine mammary tissues. We found that stat5a gene was highly induced at pregnant 7 and 8 months compared to virgin mammary tissues. To examine function of bovine stat5a in mammary epithelial cell proliferation, stat5a expression vector was transfected into mammary epithelial HC1...

We showed that internalization of Streptococcus uberis into bovine mammary epithelial cells occurred through receptor- (RME) and caveolae-mediated endocytosis (CME). We reported also that treatment of S. uberis with host proteins including lactoferrin (LF) enhanced its internalization into host cells. Since the underlying mechanism(s) involved in such enhancement was unknown we investigated if ...

We studied the effects of selenium (Se) on the inflammatory response in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-infected mastitis-model mice and mammary epithelial cells. In infected mice, Se elicited a dose-dependent decrease in mammary gland pathology that included inflammatory cell infiltration, disorganized acinar structure and mammary cell necrosis. Se decreased inflammation by increasing miR-14...

Cultures of human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) contain a subpopulation of variant cells with the capacity to propagate beyond an in vitro proliferation barrier. These variant HMECs, which contain hypermethylated and silenced p16 (p16) promoters, eventually accumulate multiple chromosomal changes, many of which are similar to those detected in premalignant and malignant lesions of breast can...

background: despite the extensive information available in the literature, cell surface marker signature of human amniotic epithelial cells (haecs) remains controversial. the aim of the present study was to characterize immuno-phenotypic features, proliferative capacity and immunogenicity of haecs. we also tested whether expression of some cell surface markers is influenced by the type of tryps...

The pathogenicity of the human c-erbB-2 oncogene was evaluated in transgenic mice. A DNA sequence comprising the promoter-enhancer region of the MMTV LTR and a constitutively activated allele of the human c-erbB-2 growth factor receptor gene was introduced into the germ line of mice. Expression of the transgene was observed in kidney, lung, mammary gland, salivary gland, Harderian gland, and in...

The mammary gland consists of a polarized epithelium surrounded by a basement membrane matrix that forms a series of branching ducts ending in hollow, sphere-like acini. Essential roles for the epithelial basement membrane during acinar differentiation, in particular laminin and its integrin receptors, have been identified using mammary epithelial cells cultured on a reconstituted basement memb...

Activation of the mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK)-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a frequent event in tumorigenesis, and analysis of human breast carcinomas demonstrates that 25-50% of these tumors express elevated levels of activated MAPK1/2. However, a direct role for MEK1 in regulating the invasive and metastatic potential of ma...