From milk to malignancy: The role of mammary stem cells in development, pregnancy and breast cancer

Benjamin Tiede, Yibin Kang

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

78 Scopus citations

Abstract

Adult stem cells of the mammary gland (MaSCs) are a highly dynamic population of cells that are responsible for the generation of the gland during puberty and its expansion during pregnancy. In recent years significant advances have been made in understanding how these cells are regulated during these developmentally important processes both in humans and in mice. Understanding how MaSCs are regulated is becoming a particularly important area of research, given that they may be particularly susceptible targets for transformation in breast cancer. Here, we summarize the identification of MaSCs, how they are regulated and the evidence for their serving as the origins of breast cancer. In particular, we focus on how changes in MaSC populations may explain both the increased risk of developing aggressive ER/PR() breast cancer shortly after pregnancy and the long-term decreased risk of developing ER/PR(+) tumors.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)245-257
Number of pages13
JournalCell Research
Volume21
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2011

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Keywords

  • MaSC
  • Mammary stem cells
  • breast cancer
  • pregnancy

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