Ron in Breast Development and Cancer
Abstract
The long-term objective of this project is to define the in viva role of the receptor tyronsine kinase Ron in mammary gland biology. Virtually nothing is known regarding the function of Ron in the breast. However, two recent studies have shown the Ron is over- expressed and highly phosphorylated in a significant fraction of human and feline breast cancers. To define the in vivo significance of Ron, mice were generated with a targeted ablation of the tyrosine kinase domain of this receptor (TK-/-mice). To analyze the function of Ron in mammary development, mammary glands from wild type and TK-/- mice were collected at weekly intervals form 3 to 15 weeks of age. Based on whole mount and histological analyses, the TK-/- mammary glands display a markedly increased amount of epithelial branching that was most prominent at 6 weeks of age. To determine the in vivo impact of Ron in mammary gland tumors, wild type and TK-/- mice containing mammary expression of polyoma middle T antigen (pMT) were generated. Preliminary analyses indicate that Ron signaling augments pMT-induced mammary tumor formation and growth.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA421839
Entities
People
- Susan B. Waltz