4.6 Review

The molecular basis of mammary gland development and epithelial differentiation

Journal

SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 114, Issue -, Pages 93-112

Publisher

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.09.014

Keywords

Mammary development; Gene expression; Transcription regulation; Cell heterogeneity

Funding

  1. CSHL
  2. Northwell Health Affiliation
  3. Rita Allen Scholar Award
  4. AACR-Breast Cancer Research Foundation Award
  5. Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Cancer Research
  6. NIH/NCI [R01CA248158-01]
  7. Bristol-Myers Squibb Fellowship

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This article reviews recent advances in understanding molecular events underlying mammalian organ system development, focusing on genes and pathways involved in mammary gland development and the use of single-cell genomics and 3D organoid cultures as tools to study these processes. Additionally, it highlights the potential of this research in predicting breast cancer risk and developing new therapies.
Our understanding of the molecular events underpinning the development of mammalian organ systems has been increasing rapidly in recent years. With the advent of new and improved next-generation sequencing methods, we are now able to dig deeper than ever before into the genomic and epigenomic events that play critical roles in determining the fates of stem and progenitor cells during the development of an embryo into an adult. In this review, we detail and discuss the genes and pathways that are involved in mammary gland development, from embryogenesis, through maturation into an adult gland, to the role of pregnancy signals in directing the terminal maturation of the mammary gland into a milk producing organ that can nurture the offspring. We also provide an overview of the latest research in the single-cell genomics of mammary gland development, which may help us to understand the lineage commitment of mammary stem cells (MaSCs) into luminal or basal epithelial cells that constitute the mammary gland. Finally, we summarize the use of 3D organoid cultures as a model system to study the molecular events during mammary gland development. Our increased investigation of the molecular requirements for normal mammary gland development will advance the discovery of targets to predict breast cancer risk and the development of new breast cancer therapies.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available