Role of Whn in Mammary Gland Development and Tumorigenesis

Abstract

It has long been known that nude females display lactation defects, necessitating that nude colonies be maintained with heterozygous females which are phenotypically normal. Here we have shown that the lactation defect is due to intrinsic defects in the mammary epithelium, since the estrogen and progesterone levels are comparable between nude and wild-type mice. Nude glands also show defects in the initial development of the epithelial network of ducts when the tissue is undergoing a period of intense proliferation. In addition, the nude mouse mammary glands fail to develop normally during pregnancy suggesting that Whn is necessary for the mammary epithelial cells to correctly differentiate. These data strongly implicate pleiotropic roles for Whn in the development of mammary glands.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA403380

Entities

People

  • Janice L. Brissette
  • Rong Han

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Birth
  • Cells
  • Epidermis
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Epithelium
  • Estrogens
  • Genetics
  • Glands
  • Health Services
  • Hormones
  • Mammary Glands
  • Pregnancy
  • Progesterone
  • Proteins
  • Spreadsheet Software
  • Tissues

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Breast cancer cell signaling and growth regulation.
  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.