A cattle database of candidate genes and genetic markers for milk production and mastitis has been developed to provide an integrated research tool incorporating different types of information supporting a genomic approach to study lactation, udder development and health. The database contains 943 genes and genetic markers involved in mammary gland development and function, representing candida...

Tumorigenesis is often described as a result of accumulated mutations that lead to growth advantage and clonal expansion of mutated cells. There is evidence in the literature that cancer cells are influenced by the microenvironment. Our previous studies demonstrated that the mouse mammary gland is capable of redirecting mouse cells of non-mammary origins as well as Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MM...

Reduction of the highly proliferative terminal end bud (TEB) structures in the developing mammary gland by differentiation to alveolar buds (ABs) and lobules has been suggested to be protective against mammary cancer. Flaxseed is high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG). SDG is the precursor of mammalian lignans, which can affect mammary gland structures. Th...

BACKGROUND Mastitis is still considered to be the most economically important infectious disease in dairy cattle breeding. The immune response in mammary gland tissues could help in developing support strategies to combat this disease. The role of neutrophils and macrophages in the innate response of mammary gland is well known. However, the immune response in mammary gland tissues, including l...

Microdissection and differential display PCR were used to identify genes preferentially expressed in the highly proliferative terminal end buds (TEBs) in the mammary gland of 45-day-old virgin rats. One clone exhibited 87% homology to the human p190-B gene encoding a novel Rho-Gap. Using in situ hybridization, p190-B was detected in both the TEBs and the terminal ducts, with the highest express...

Stem cells appear to retain labeled DNA for extended periods because of their selective segregation of template DNA strands during mitosis. In this study, proliferating cells in the prepubertal bovine mammary gland were labeled using five daily injections of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Five weeks later, BrdU-labeled mammary epithelial cells were still evident. The percentage of BrdU-labeled ...

An increased breast cancer risk during adulthood has been linked to estrogen exposure during fetal life. However, the impossibility of removing estrogens from the feto-maternal unit has hindered the testing of estrogen's direct effect on mammary gland organogenesis. To overcome this limitation, we developed an ex vivo culture method of the mammary gland where the direct action of estrogens can ...

Hemophilia A is an inherited X-linked recessive bleeding disorder caused by coagulant factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency. The conventional treatment involves the administration of recombinant human FVIII (rhFVIII) preparations. In this study, the mammary gland 'bioreactor' is designed to specifically and efficiently express a foreign protein hFVIII in the mammary glands of transgenic mice. We const...

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ that undergoes cyclic developmental and regressive changes during the lifetime of a female mammal. Mammogenesis begins during embryonic life with the development of the first mammary gland rudiments and ductal system. After birth, during the pre-pubertal period, the ductal growth of the mammary parenchyma occurs through the fat pad. In most of the ruminant s...

R-spondin1 (Rspo1) is a member of a secreted protein family which has pleiotropic functions in development and stem cell growth. Rspo1 knock-out mice are sex-reversed, but some remain sub-fertile, so they fail to nurse their pups. A lack of Rspo1 expression in the mammary gland results in an absence of duct side-branching development and defective alveolar formation. The aim of this study was t...