Alcohol consumption has been recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer. Experimental studies demonstrate that alcohol exposure promotes the progression of existing mammary tumors. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. In the present study, the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in alcohol promotion of breast cancer development was investigated using a...

different types of tumors depending on the species used and on the route of administration of the carcinogen (1, 6, 18, 25, 28, 29). Guillino et al. (8) showed that, when given i.v. to young female rats, NMU caused mammary carcinomas. These tumors were adenocarcinomas and were similar histologically to the DMBA-induced mammary tumors in the rat (2). It has also been reported (8) that NMU-induce...

We recently reported that uPARAP/Endo180 can mediate the cellular uptake and lysosomal degradation of collagen by cultured fibroblasts. Here, we show that uPARAP/Endo180 has a key role in the degradation of collagen during mammary carcinoma progression. In the normal murine mammary gland, uPARAP/Endo180 is widely expressed in periductal fibroblast-like mesenchymal cells that line mammary epithe...

The vitamin D(3) receptor (VDR) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor implicated in regulation of cell cycle, differentiation and apoptosis of both normal and transformed cells derived from mammary gland. In these studies we examined whether VDR status altered mammary gland morphology or transformation in the well-characterized MMTV-neu transgenic model of breast cancer. We demonstrate tha...

Adipocytes represent a major cell type in the mammary tumor microenvironment and are important for tumor growth. Collagen VI (COL6) is highly expressed in adipose tissue, upregulated in the obese state, and enriched in breast cancer lesions and is a stimulator of mammary tumor growth. Here, we have described a cleavage product of the COL6α3 chain, endotrophin (ETP), which serves as the major me...

Interleukin-33 (IL-33)/IL-33 receptor (IL-33R, ST2) signaling pathway promotes mammary cancer growth and metastasis by inhibiting anti-tumor immunity. However, the role of IL-33/IL-33R axis in neoangiogenesis and tumor necrosis is not elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of IL-33/IL-33R axis in mammary tumor necrosis. Deletion of IL-33R (ST2) gene in BALB/c m...

We have previously shown that mammary epithelial specific expression of the activated erbB2 allele under the control of the endogenous promoter in mice resulted in the formation of mammary adenocarcinomas. To assess whether mammary tumorigenesis in this model is influenced by the developmental window of expression, we generated mice that expressed the activated erbB2 allele in the germ line. Al...

Wnt ligand-driven tumor growth is inhibited by the soluble Wnt inhibitor Fzd8CRD, but the mechanism through which this effect is mediated is unknown. In the MMTV-Wnt1 mouse model, regression of mammary tumors by Fzd8CRD treatment coincides with an acute and strong induction of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein IGFBP5, an antagonist of IGF signaling that mediates involution of mam...

For over a century, mouse mammary tumor biology and the associated mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) have served as the foundation for experimental cancer research, in general, and, in particular, experimental breast cancer research. Spontaneous mouse mammary tumors were the basis for studies of the natural history of neoplasia, oncogenic viruses, host responses, endocrinology and neoplastic pro...

Anogenital mammary-like glands may give rise to various pathologic lesions identical to those known in mammary pathology. Tumor occurring in the anogenital region is extremely rare. The histogenetic origin of this tumor is controversial as it is being debated whether such lesions evolve from ectopic breast tissue and most recently, anogenital mammary-like gland. We report a 28-year-old girl who...