Mammary development, carcinomas and progesterone: role of Wnt signalling.
Lamb, Rebecca Harrison, Hannah Clarke, Robert B
Lamb, Rebecca
Harrison, Hannah
Clarke, Robert B
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Abstract
The mammary gland begins development during embryogenesis but after exposure to hormonal changes during puberty and pregnancy undergoes extensive further development. Hormonal changes are key regulators in the cycles of proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and remodelling associated with pregnancy, lactation and involution following weaning. These developmental processes within the breast epithelium can be explained by the presence of a long-lived population of tissue-specific stem cells. The longevity of these stem cells makes them susceptible to accumulating genetic change and consequent transformation. The ovarian steroid progesterone, acting via the secreted factor Wnt4, is known to be essential for side branching of the mammary gland. One function of Wnt proteins is self-renewal of adult tissue stem cells, suggesting that progesterone may exert its effects within the breast, at least partly, by regulating the mammary stem cell population.
Description
Date
2007
Publisher
Collections
Keywords
Mammary Cancer
Type
Article
Citation
Mammary development, carcinomas and progesterone: role of Wnt signalling. 2007 (1):1-23 Ernst Schering Found Symp Proc