Abnormal Mammary Adipose Tissue Environment of Brca1 Mutant Mice Show a Persistent Deposition of Highly Vascularized Multilocular Adipocytes.

A major challenge to breast cancer research is the identification of alterations in the architecture and composition of the breast that are associated with breast cancer progression. The aim of the present investigation was to characterize the mammary adipose phenotype from Brca1 mutant mice in the expectation that this would shed light on the role of the mammary tissue environment in the early stages of breast tumorigenesis. We observed that histological sections of mammary tissue from adult Brca1 mutant mice abnormally display small, multilocular adipocytes that are reminiscent of brown adipose tissue (BAT) as compared to wildtype mice.