HER-2 positive tumors are among the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer and are frequently associated with metastasis and poor outcome. As with other aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, these tumors are associated with abnormally high expression of galectin-7 (gal-7), which confers metastatic breast tumor cells with increased invasive behavior. Although previous studies in the rat model...

PURPOSE Adipocytes represent one of the most abundant constituents of the mammary gland. They are essential for mammary tumor growth and survival. Metabolically, one of the more important fat-derived factors ("adipokines") is adiponectin (APN). Serum concentrations of APN negatively correlate with body mass index and insulin resistance. To explore the association of APN with breast cancer and t...

Rat mammary epithelium and adenocarcinomas derived from it synthesize type IV collagen, a structural protein of basement membranes. In cultures of cells, net production of collagen is stimulated 2-fold more than total cell protein by epidermal growth factor. Mammary adenocarcinoma cells also respond to epidermal growth factor but to a much reduced extent. This difference in growth factor respon...

We have, using spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, measured the relaxation times and diffusion coefficient of water protons in primary mammary adenocarcinomas of mice. In our biological model, three morphological stages were defined: (a) mammary gland tissue from pregnant mice, (b) preneoplastic nodules, and (c) neoplastic tissue. It was found that neoplastic tissues could be dis...

Intrauterine and early life exposure to folic acid has significantly increased in North America owing to folic acid fortification, widespread supplemental use, and periconceptional supplementation. We investigated the effects of maternal and postweaning folic acid supplementation on mammary tumor risk in the offspring. Female rats were placed on a control or folic acid-supplemented diet prior t...

Background: Molecular marker based cancer diagnosis gaining more attention in the current genomics era. So, Hspb1 and Tp53 gene characterization and their mRNA expression might be helpful in diagnosis andprognosis ofcat mammary adenocarcinoma. It will also add informationin comparative cancer genetics and genomics. Objectives: Eight tumors of Siamese cats were analyzed to ascertain germ-line an...

Breast involution following pregnancy has been implicated in the high rates of metastasis observed in postpartum breast cancers; however, it is not clear how this remodeling process promotes metastasis. Here, we demonstrate that human postpartum breast cancers have increased peritumor lymphatic vessel density that correlates with increased frequency of lymph node metastases. Moreover, lymphatic...

The object of the present communication is to establish the fact that, in a mammal which has long been subjected to intensive and extensive laboratory investigations, constitutional factors are normally of prime importance in determining whether or not the individual organism will form a mammary tumor. In addition, constitutional factors may also play an important part in determining what gener...

A hypothesis is presented that explains the mammary tumor-promoting effects of high fat diets on the basis of alteration in the hormonal milieu, namely the relative concentrations of circulating prolactin to estrogen. Evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies drawn from work in our laboratory and others is reviewed in light of this hypothesis. It is postulated that mammary tumor cell prolifera...

A system for the large-scale production and purification of mouse mammary tumor virus in the absence of detectable endogenous murine leukemia virus is described. By utilizing the Mm5mt/c1 cell line established from an adenocarcinoma of a C3H mouse, the continuous production of over 25,000 liters of mouse mammary tumor virus-containing tissue culture fluids has been achieved. By the strict adher...