TGFβ contributes to mammary gland development and has paradoxical roles in breast cancer because it has both tumor suppressor and tumor promoter activity. Another member of the TGFβ superfamily, activin, also has roles in the developing mammary gland, but these functions, and the role of activin in breast cancer, are not well characterized. TGFβ and activin share the same intracellular signaling pathways, but divergence in their signaling pathways are suggested. The purpose of this review is to compare the spatial and temporal expression of TGFβ and activin during mammary gland development, with consideration given to their functions during each developmental period. We also review the contributions of TGFβ and activin to breast cancer resistance and susceptibility. Finally, we consider the systemic contributions of activin in regulating obesity and diabetes; and the impact this regulation has on breast cancer. Elevated levels of activin in serum during pregnancy and its influence on pregnancy associated breast cancer are also considered. We conclude that evidence demonstrates that activin has tumor suppressing potential, without definitive indication of tumor promoting activity in the mammary gland, making it a good target for development of therapeutics.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10911-011-9214-4 | DOI Listing |
J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia
January 2025
Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Fluorescent biosensors offer a powerful tool for tracking and quantifying protein activity in living systems with high temporospatial resolution. However, the expression of genetically encoded fluorescent proteins can interfere with endogenous signaling pathways, potentially leading to developmental and physiological abnormalities. The EKAREV-NLS mouse model, which carries a FRET-based biosensor for monitoring extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity, has been widely utilized both in vivo and in vitro across various cell types and organs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (DIVAS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi, 26900, Italy.
Intramammary dry-off treatment is widely considered an effective method for preventing and curing intramammary infection (IMI) in lactating cows; however, it is not commonly used in small ruminants like goats. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of an approved cefazolin-based intramammary treatment on the milk microbiota of Alpine dairy goats during the dry and early lactation periods. Sixty goats were randomly selected based on bacteriological results and randomly allocated into the control group (CG) or the treatment group (TG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Exp Med Biol
January 2025
Molecular Oncology, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain.
RANK pathway has attracted increasing interest as a promising target in breast cancer, given the availability of denosumab, an anti-RANKL drug. RANK signaling mediates progesterone-driven regulation of mammary gland development and favors breast cancer initiation by controlling mammary cell proliferation and stem cell fate. RANK activation promotes luminal mammary epithelial cell senescence, acting as an initial barrier to tumorigenesis but ultimately facilitating tumor progression and metastasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Exp Med Biol
January 2025
Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Hormones control normal breast development and function. They also impinge on breast cancer (BC) development and disease progression in direct and indirect ways. The major ovarian hormones, estrogens and progesterone, have long been established as key regulators of mammary gland development in rodents and linked to human disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Exp Med Biol
January 2025
Laboratory of Stem Cells and Cancer (LSCC), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
This chapter focuses on the mechanisms of regulation of cell fate in breast development, occurring mainly after birth, as well as in breast cancer. First, we will review how the microenvironment of the breast, as well as external cues, plays a crucial role in mammary gland cell specification and will describe how it has been shown to reprogram non-mammary cells into mammary epithelial cells. Then we will focus on the transcription factors and master regulators which have been established to be determinant for basal (BC) and luminal cell (LC) identity, and will describe the experiments of ectopic expression or loss of function of these transcription factors which demonstrated that they were crucial for cell fate.
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