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Nutrients Feb 2018The skin is the third most zinc (Zn)-abundant tissue in the body. The skin consists of the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, and each fraction is composed of... (Review)
Review
The skin is the third most zinc (Zn)-abundant tissue in the body. The skin consists of the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, and each fraction is composed of various types of cells. Firstly, we review the physiological functions of Zn and Zn transporters in these cells. Several human disorders accompanied with skin manifestations are caused by mutations or dysregulation in Zn transporters; acrodermatitis enteropathica (Zrt-, Irt-like protein (ZIP)4 in the intestinal epithelium and possibly epidermal basal keratinocytes), the spondylocheiro dysplastic form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (ZIP13 in the dermal fibroblasts), transient neonatal Zn deficiency (Zn transporter (ZnT)2 in the secretory vesicles of mammary glands), and epidermodysplasia verruciformis (ZnT1 in the epidermal keratinocytes). Additionally, acquired Zn deficiency is deeply involved in the development of some diseases related to nutritional deficiencies (acquired acrodermatitis enteropathica, necrolytic migratory erythema, pellagra, and biotin deficiency), alopecia, and delayed wound healing. Therefore, it is important to associate the existence of mutations or dysregulation in Zn transporters and Zn deficiency with skin manifestations.
Topics: Carrier Proteins; Cation Transport Proteins; Deficiency Diseases; Fibroblasts; Humans; Keratinocytes; Mutation; Skin; Skin Diseases; Zinc
PubMed: 29439479
DOI: 10.3390/nu10020199 -
Women's Health (London, England) 2022Nipple pain is a common reason for premature cessation of breastfeeding. Despite the benefits of breastfeeding for both infant and mother, clinical support for problems... (Review)
Review
Nipple pain is a common reason for premature cessation of breastfeeding. Despite the benefits of breastfeeding for both infant and mother, clinical support for problems such as maternal nipple pain remains a research frontier. Maternal pharmaceutical treatments, and infant surgery and bodywork interventions are commonly recommended for lactation-related nipple pain without evidence of benefit. The pain is frequently attributed to mammary dysbiosis, candidiasis, or infant anatomic anomaly (including to diagnoses of posterior or upper lip-tie, high palate, retrognathia, or subtle cranial nerve abnormalities). Although clinical protocols universally state that improved fit and hold is the mainstay of treatment of nipple pain and wounds, the biomechanical parameters of pain-free fit and hold remain an omitted variable bias in almost all clinical breastfeeding research. This article reviews the research literature concerning aetiology, classification, prevention, and management of lactation-related nipple-areolar complex (NAC) pain and damage. Evolutionary and complex systems perspectives are applied to develop a narrative synthesis of the heterogeneous and interdisciplinary evidence elucidating nipple pain in breastfeeding women. Lactation-related nipple pain is most commonly a symptom of inflammation due to repetitive application of excessive mechanical stretching and deformational forces to nipple epidermis, dermis and stroma during milk removal. Keratinocytes lock together when mechanical forces exceed desmosome yield points, but if mechanical loads continue to increase, desmosomes may rupture, resulting in inflammation and epithelial fracture. Mechanical stretching and deformation forces may cause stromal micro-haemorrhage and inflammation. Although the environment of the skin of the nipple-areolar complex is uniquely conducive to wound healing, it is also uniquely exposed to environmental risks. The two key factors that both prevent and treat nipple pain and inflammation are, first, elimination of conflicting vectors of force during suckling or mechanical milk removal, and second, elimination of overhydration of the epithelium which risks moisture-associated skin damage. There is urgent need for evaluation of evidence-based interventions for the elimination of conflicting intra-oral vectors of force during suckling.
Topics: Breast Feeding; Female; Humans; Infant; Lactation; Mothers; Nipples; Pain
PubMed: 35343816
DOI: 10.1177/17455057221087865 -
Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) Dec 2020The cellular heterogeneity of breast cancers still represents a major therapeutic challenge. The latest genomic studies have classified breast cancers in distinct... (Review)
Review
The cellular heterogeneity of breast cancers still represents a major therapeutic challenge. The latest genomic studies have classified breast cancers in distinct clusters to inform the therapeutic approaches and predict clinical outcomes. The mammary epithelium is composed of luminal and basal cells, and this seemingly hierarchical organization is dependent on various stem cells and progenitors populating the mammary gland. Some cancer cells are conceptually similar to the stem cells as they can self-renew and generate bulk populations of nontumorigenic cells. Two models have been proposed to explain the cell of origin of breast cancer and involve either the reprogramming of differentiated mammary cells or the dysregulation of mammary stem cells or progenitors. Both hypotheses are not exclusive and imply the accumulation of independent mutational events. Cancer stem cells have been isolated from breast tumors and implicated in the development, metastasis, and recurrence of breast cancers. Recent advances in single-cell sequencing help deciphering the clonal evolution within each breast tumor. Still, few clinical trials have been focused on these specific cancer cell populations.
Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Susceptibility; Female; Humans; Incidence; Mammary Glands, Human; Mice; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Risk Assessment; Stem Cells
PubMed: 33142233
DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2020.09.009 -
Physiological Reviews Apr 2020The mammary gland is a highly dynamic organ that undergoes profound changes within its epithelium during puberty and the reproductive cycle. These changes are fueled by... (Review)
Review
The mammary gland is a highly dynamic organ that undergoes profound changes within its epithelium during puberty and the reproductive cycle. These changes are fueled by dedicated stem and progenitor cells. Both short- and long-lived lineage-restricted progenitors have been identified in adult tissue as well as a small pool of multipotent mammary stem cells (MaSCs), reflecting intrinsic complexity within the epithelial hierarchy. While unipotent progenitor cells predominantly execute day-to-day homeostasis and postnatal morphogenesis during puberty and pregnancy, multipotent MaSCs have been implicated in coordinating alveologenesis and long-term ductal maintenance. Nonetheless, the multipotency of stem cells in the adult remains controversial. The advent of large-scale single-cell molecular profiling has revealed striking changes in the gene expression landscape through ontogeny and the presence of transient intermediate populations. An increasing number of lineage cell-fate determination factors and potential niche regulators have now been mapped along the hierarchy, with many implicated in breast carcinogenesis. The emerging diversity among stem and progenitor populations of the mammary epithelium is likely to underpin the heterogeneity that characterizes breast cancer.
Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Differentiation; Cell Lineage; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Humans; Mammary Glands, Animal; Mammary Glands, Human; Morphogenesis; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Phenotype; Signal Transduction; Stem Cells; Transcription Factors; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 31539305
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00040.2018 -
Nature Communications Dec 2018Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major constituent of the tumor microenvironment, although their origin and roles in shaping disease initiation, progression...
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major constituent of the tumor microenvironment, although their origin and roles in shaping disease initiation, progression and treatment response remain unclear due to significant heterogeneity. Here, following a negative selection strategy combined with single-cell RNA sequencing of 768 transcriptomes of mesenchymal cells from a genetically engineered mouse model of breast cancer, we define three distinct subpopulations of CAFs. Validation at the transcriptional and protein level in several experimental models of cancer and human tumors reveal spatial separation of the CAF subclasses attributable to different origins, including the peri-vascular niche, the mammary fat pad and the transformed epithelium. Gene profiles for each CAF subtype correlate to distinctive functional programs and hold independent prognostic capability in clinical cohorts by association to metastatic disease. In conclusion, the improved resolution of the widely defined CAF population opens the possibility for biomarker-driven development of drugs for precision targeting of CAFs.
Topics: Adipose Tissue; Animals; Biomarkers, Tumor; Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts; Cell Cycle; Cell Line, Tumor; Cluster Analysis; Disease Progression; Epithelium; Female; Fibroblasts; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Intercellular Junctions; Logistic Models; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Prognosis; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Transcription Factors; Transcriptome
PubMed: 30514914
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07582-3 -
Cell Jan 2022Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a pre-invasive lesion that is thought to be a precursor to invasive breast cancer (IBC). To understand the changes in the tumor...
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a pre-invasive lesion that is thought to be a precursor to invasive breast cancer (IBC). To understand the changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) accompanying transition to IBC, we used multiplexed ion beam imaging by time of flight (MIBI-TOF) and a 37-plex antibody staining panel to interrogate 79 clinically annotated surgical resections using machine learning tools for cell segmentation, pixel-based clustering, and object morphometrics. Comparison of normal breast with patient-matched DCIS and IBC revealed coordinated transitions between four TME states that were delineated based on the location and function of myoepithelium, fibroblasts, and immune cells. Surprisingly, myoepithelial disruption was more advanced in DCIS patients that did not develop IBC, suggesting this process could be protective against recurrence. Taken together, this HTAN Breast PreCancer Atlas study offers insight into drivers of IBC relapse and emphasizes the importance of the TME in regulating these processes.
Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating; Cell Differentiation; Cohort Studies; Disease Progression; Epithelial Cells; Epithelium; Extracellular Matrix; Female; Fibroblasts; Humans; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Phenotype; Single-Cell Analysis; Stromal Cells; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 35063072
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.023 -
Modern Pathology : An Official Journal... Jan 2021Papillary neoplasms of the breast are a heterogeneous group of epithelial tumors nearly entirely composed of papillae. Their classification rests on the characteristics... (Review)
Review
Papillary neoplasms of the breast are a heterogeneous group of epithelial tumors nearly entirely composed of papillae. Their classification rests on the characteristics of the epithelium and the presence and distribution of the myoepithelial cells along the papillae and around the tumor. Papillary neoplasms of the breast can be diagnostically challenging, especially if only core needle biopsy (CNB) material is available. This review summarizes salient morphological and immunohistochemical features, clinical presentation, and differential diagnoses of papillary neoplasms of the breast. We include a contemporary appraisal of the upgrade rate to carcinoma (invasive carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS]) and atypical hyperplasias in surgical excision specimens obtained following CNB diagnosis of papilloma without atypia, and a review of the available follow-up data in cases without immediate surgical excision.
Topics: Biopsy, Large-Core Needle; Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating; Diagnosis, Differential; Epithelial Cells; Female; Humans; Hyperplasia; Neoplasm Grading; Papilloma, Intraductal; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 33106592
DOI: 10.1038/s41379-020-00706-5 -
Nature Genetics Apr 2023Women with germline BRCA1 mutations (BRCA1) have increased risk for hereditary breast cancer. Cancer initiation in BRCA1 is associated with premalignant changes in...
Women with germline BRCA1 mutations (BRCA1) have increased risk for hereditary breast cancer. Cancer initiation in BRCA1 is associated with premalignant changes in breast epithelium; however, the role of the epithelium-associated stromal niche during BRCA1-driven tumor initiation remains unclear. Here we show that the premalignant stromal niche promotes epithelial proliferation and mutant BRCA1-driven tumorigenesis in trans. Using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of human preneoplastic BRCA1 and noncarrier breast tissues, we show distinct changes in epithelial homeostasis including increased proliferation and expansion of basal-luminal intermediate progenitor cells. Additionally, BRCA1 stromal cells show increased expression of pro-proliferative paracrine signals. In particular, we identify pre-cancer-associated fibroblasts (pre-CAFs) that produce protumorigenic factors including matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), which promotes BRCA1-driven tumorigenesis in vivo. Together, our findings demonstrate that precancerous stroma in BRCA1 may elevate breast cancer risk through the promotion of epithelial proliferation and an accumulation of luminal progenitor cells with altered differentiation.
Topics: Female; Humans; Mutation; BRCA1 Protein; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Mammary Glands, Human; Carcinogenesis; Stromal Cells
PubMed: 36914836
DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01298-x -
Nature Communications May 2018Breast cancer arises from breast epithelial cells that acquire genetic alterations leading to subsequent loss of tissue homeostasis. Several distinct epithelial...
Breast cancer arises from breast epithelial cells that acquire genetic alterations leading to subsequent loss of tissue homeostasis. Several distinct epithelial subpopulations have been proposed, but complete understanding of the spectrum of heterogeneity and differentiation hierarchy in the human breast remains elusive. Here, we use single-cell mRNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to profile the transcriptomes of 25,790 primary human breast epithelial cells isolated from reduction mammoplasties of seven individuals. Unbiased clustering analysis reveals the existence of three distinct epithelial cell populations, one basal and two luminal cell types, which we identify as secretory L1- and hormone-responsive L2-type cells. Pseudotemporal reconstruction of differentiation trajectories produces one continuous lineage hierarchy that closely connects the basal lineage to the two differentiated luminal branches. Our comprehensive cell atlas provides insights into the cellular blueprint of the human breast epithelium and will form the foundation to understand how the system goes awry during breast cancer.
Topics: Adult; Biomarkers, Tumor; Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Differentiation; Cell Lineage; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cluster Analysis; Epithelial Cells; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Single-Cell Analysis; Transcriptome
PubMed: 29795293
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04334-1