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Cytometry. Part a : the Journal of the... Jan 2018Postnatal mammary gland development requires the presence of mammary stem and progenitor cells (MaSC), which give rise to functional milk-secreting cells and regenerate... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Postnatal mammary gland development requires the presence of mammary stem and progenitor cells (MaSC), which give rise to functional milk-secreting cells and regenerate the mammary epithelium with each cycle of lactation. These long-lived, tissue-resident MaSC are also targets for malignant transformation and may be cancer cells-of-origin. Consequently, MaSC are extensively researched in relation to their role and function in development, tissue regeneration, lactation, and breast cancer. The basic structure and function of the mammary gland are conserved among all mammalian species, from the most primitive to the most evolved. However, species vary greatly in their lactation strategies and mammary cancer incidence, making MaSC an interesting focus for comparative research. MaSC have been characterized in mice, to a lesser degree in humans, and to an even lesser degree in few additional mammals. They remain uncharacterized in most mammalian species, including "ancient" monotremes, marsupials, wild, and rare species, as well as in common and domestic species such as cats. Identification and comparison of MaSC across a large variety of species, particularly those with extreme lactational adaptations or low mammary cancer incidence, is expected to deepen our understanding of development and malignancy in the mammary gland. Here, we review the current status of MaSC characterization across species, and underline species variations in lactation and mammary cancer through which we may learn about the role of MaSC in these processes. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Domestic; Breast Neoplasms; Female; Humans; Lactation; Mammary Glands, Animal; Mammary Glands, Human; Mammary Neoplasms, Animal; Mice; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Primates; Rodentia; Ruminants; Species Specificity; Stem Cells
PubMed: 28834173
DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.23190 -
Hormones & Cancer Apr 2011There is emerging evidence that the mammary epithelium in both mice and humans is arranged as a hierarchy that spans from stem cells to differentiated hormone-sensing,... (Review)
Review
There is emerging evidence that the mammary epithelium in both mice and humans is arranged as a hierarchy that spans from stem cells to differentiated hormone-sensing, milk-producing and myoepithelial cells. It is well established that estrogen is an important mediator of mammary gland morphogenesis and exposure to this hormone is associated with increased breast cancer risk. Yet surprisingly, the primitive cells of the mammary epithelium do not express the estrogen receptor-α (ERα) or the progesterone receptor. This article will review the mammary epithelial cell hierarchy, possible cells of origin of different types of breast tumors, and the potential mechanisms on how estrogen and progesterone may influence the different subcomponents in normal development and in cancer. Also presented are some hypothetical scenarios on how this underlying biology may be reflected in the behavior of ERα(+) and ERα(-) breast tumors.
Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Estrogens; Female; Humans; Mammary Glands, Human; Progesterone; Receptors, Estrogen; Receptors, Progesterone
PubMed: 21761331
DOI: 10.1007/s12672-010-0055-1 -
Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and... Jun 2015The mammary gland undergoes dramatic post-natal growth beginning at puberty, followed by full development occurring during pregnancy and lactation. Following lactation,... (Review)
Review
The mammary gland undergoes dramatic post-natal growth beginning at puberty, followed by full development occurring during pregnancy and lactation. Following lactation, the alveoli undergo apoptosis, and the mammary gland reverses back to resemble the nonparous gland. This process of growth and regression occurs for multiple pregnancies, suggesting the presence of a hierarchy of stem and progenitor cells that are able to regenerate specialized populations of mammary epithelial cells. Expansion of epithelial cell populations in the mammary gland is regulated by ovarian steroids, in particular estrogen acting through its receptor estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and progesterone signaling through progesterone receptor (PR). A diverse number of stem and progenitor cells have been identified based on expression of cell surface markers and functional assays. Here we review the current understanding of how estrogen and progesterone act together and separately to regulate stem and progenitor cells within the human and mouse mammary tissues. Better understanding of the hierarchal organization of epithelial cell populations in the mammary gland and how the hormonal milieu affects its regulation may provide important insights into the origins of different subtypes of breast cancer.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Cell Differentiation; Epithelium; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Estrogens; Female; Humans; Mammary Glands, Animal; Mammary Glands, Human; Parity; Pregnancy; Progesterone; Receptors, Progesterone; Stem Cells; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 26188694
DOI: 10.1007/s10911-015-9337-0 -
Cell Aug 2014Ectodermal appendages such as feathers, hair, mammary glands, salivary glands, and sweat glands form branches, allowing much-increased surface for functional...
Ectodermal appendages such as feathers, hair, mammary glands, salivary glands, and sweat glands form branches, allowing much-increased surface for functional differentiation and secretion. Here, the principles of branching morphogenesis are exemplified by the mammary gland and feathers.
Topics: Animals; Birds; Feathers; Female; Humans; Male; Mammals; Mammary Glands, Animal; Mammary Glands, Human; Morphogenesis; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 25171418
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.08.019 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta.... Sep 2022
Topics: Humans; Mammary Glands, Human
PubMed: 35523399
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2022.119283 -
Nature Communications Jan 2022Under normal conditions, the most significant expansion and differentiation of the adult mammary gland occurs in response to systemic reproductive hormones during...
Under normal conditions, the most significant expansion and differentiation of the adult mammary gland occurs in response to systemic reproductive hormones during pregnancy and lactation to enable milk synthesis and secretion to sustain the offspring. However, human mammary tissue remodelling that takes place during pregnancy and lactation remains poorly understood due to the challenge of acquiring samples. We report here single-cell transcriptomic analysis of 110,744 viable breast cells isolated from human milk or non-lactating breast tissue, isolated from nine and seven donors, respectively. We found that human milk largely contains epithelial cells belonging to the luminal lineage and a repertoire of immune cells. Further transcriptomic analysis of the milk cells identified two distinct secretory cell types that shared similarities with luminal progenitors, but no populations comparable to hormone-responsive cells. Taken together, our data offers a reference map and a window into the cellular dynamics that occur during human lactation and may provide further insights on the interplay between pregnancy, lactation and breast cancer.
Topics: Breast; Cell Culture Techniques, Three Dimensional; Cells, Cultured; Cluster Analysis; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Regulatory Networks; Humans; Immune System; Lactation; Mammary Glands, Human; Milk, Human; Pregnancy; Single-Cell Analysis; Stromal Cells
PubMed: 35091553
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27895-0 -
Breast Cancer Research : BCR Feb 2012Cadherins are transmembrane receptors that function through calcium-dependent homophilic and heterophilic interactions that provide cell-cell contact and communication... (Review)
Review
Cadherins are transmembrane receptors that function through calcium-dependent homophilic and heterophilic interactions that provide cell-cell contact and communication in many different organ systems. In the mammary gland only a few of the cadherins that make up this large superfamily of proteins have been characterized. Frequently in metastatic breast cancer, the genes for cadherins are epigenetically silenced, mutated, or regulated differently. During epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cadherins that are expressed normally in the epithelial cells are down-regulated, while cadherins expressed in the mesenchyme are up-regulated. This process is known as cadherin switching, and its regulation can sometimes facilitate the increased motility, invasiveness and proliferation that occurs in metastatic cancer cells. Depending on the context, however, cell motility, invasiveness, proliferation and expression of mesenchymal markers can be independently modulated from cadherin expression, leading to partial epithelial-mesenchymal transitions and even mesenchymal-epithelial transitions (METs). This review will summarize the current understanding of cadherins found in the mammary gland and what is known about their mechanism of regulation in the mammary gland during normal physiological conditions and in breast cancer.
Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Cadherins; Desmosomes; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Mammary Glands, Human; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 22315958
DOI: 10.1186/bcr3065 -
Open Biology Sep 2013Many organs of higher organisms are heavily branched structures and arise by an apparently similar process of branching morphogenesis. Yet the regulatory components and... (Review)
Review
Many organs of higher organisms are heavily branched structures and arise by an apparently similar process of branching morphogenesis. Yet the regulatory components and local interactions that have been identified differ greatly in these organs. It is an open question whether the regulatory processes work according to a common principle and how far physical and geometrical constraints determine the branching process. Here, we review the known regulatory factors and physical constraints in lung, kidney, pancreas, prostate, mammary gland and salivary gland branching morphogenesis, and describe the models that have been formulated to analyse their impacts.
Topics: Animals; Computer Simulation; Humans; Kidney; Lung; Male; Mammary Glands, Human; Models, Biological; Morphogenesis; Pancreas; Prostate; Salivary Glands
PubMed: 24004663
DOI: 10.1098/rsob.130088 -
BMC Cancer Dec 2023Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, and women with obesity that develop breast cancer have a worsened prognosis. Within the mammary gland, obesity causes...
BACKGROUND
Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, and women with obesity that develop breast cancer have a worsened prognosis. Within the mammary gland, obesity causes chronic, macrophage-driven inflammation and adipose tissue fibrosis. Weight loss is a recommended intervention to resolve obesity, but the impact of weight loss on the mammary gland microenvironment and in tumors has not been well identified.
METHODS
To examine the effects of weight loss following obesity, mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks to induce obesity, then switched to a low-fat diet for 6 weeks. We examined changes in immune cells, including fibrocytes, which are myeloid lineage cells that have attributes of both macrophages and myofibroblasts, and collagen deposition within the mammary glands of non-tumor-bearing mice and within the tumors of mice that were transplanted with estrogen receptor alpha positive TC2 tumor cells.
RESULTS
In formerly obese mice, we observed reduced numbers of crown-like structures and fibrocytes in mammary glands, while collagen deposition was not resolved with weight loss. Following transplant of TC2 tumor cells into the mammary glands of lean, obese, and formerly obese mice, diminished collagen deposition and cancer-associated fibroblasts were observed in tumors from formerly obese mice compared to obese mice. Within tumors of obese mice, increased myeloid-derived suppressor cells and diminished CD8 T cells were identified, while the microenvironment of tumors of formerly obese mice were more similar to tumors from lean mice. When TC2 tumor cells were mixed with CD11bCD34 myeloid progenitor cells, which are the cells of origin for fibrocytes, and transplanted into mammary glands of lean and obese mice, collagen deposition within the tumors of both lean and obese was significantly greater than when tumor cells were mixed with CD11bCD34 monocytes or total CD45 immune cells.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, these studies demonstrate that weight loss resolved some of the microenvironmental conditions within the mammary gland that may contribute to tumor progression. Additionally, fibrocytes may contribute to early collagen deposition in mammary tumors of obese mice leading to the growth of desmoplastic tumors.
Topics: Humans; Female; Mice; Animals; Mammary Glands, Human; Mice, Obese; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Tumor Microenvironment; Obesity; Breast Neoplasms; Weight Loss; Collagen; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mammary Glands, Animal
PubMed: 38041006
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11688-3 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... Sep 2023Mammary gland hyperplasia is a common gynecological disease, which seriously affects the patient's physical and mental health. Therapeutic strategies to treat the... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Mammary gland hyperplasia is a common gynecological disease, which seriously affects the patient's physical and mental health. Therapeutic strategies to treat the disease include endocrine therapy and surgery. Compared to Western treatment, traditional Chinese medicine prescription shows its superiority in treatment. The purpose of this review was to provide a reference for the determination of the pathogenesis, treatment principles, and treatment methods of mammary gland hyperplasia.
METHOD
This article comprehensively reviewed the records on mammary gland hyperplasia in ancient Chinese medical literature.
RESULTS
The present review discussed the disease and summarizes the information on mammary gland hyperplasia, including the disease name, the traditional Chinese medicine analysis, etiology, pathogenesis, treatment methods, prognosis, and nursing care.
CONCLUSION
We clearly described the research history of mammary gland hyperplasia, and the analysis and treatment of this disease by physicians in past dynasties. This information will help modern physicians to fully understand the disease development and treatment process.
Topics: Humans; Hyperplasia; Mammary Glands, Human; Medicine, Chinese Traditional
PubMed: 37235489
DOI: No ID Found