Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 23, Issue 7, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073883
Keywords
mammary gland; signaling; development
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [1SC3 GM113751, 1SC1 GM130544, G12-RR03034, P50-HD28934, C06 RR18386]
- NIH/NCRR [C06 RR18386]
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The mammary gland, a compound and branched structure, plays a crucial role in mammalian reproduction by producing milk. Its development involves hormonal regulation and different stages of morphogenesis.
The mammary gland is a compound, branched tubuloalveolar structure and a major characteristic of mammals. The mammary gland has evolved from epidermal apocrine glands, the skin glands as an accessory reproductive organ to support postnatal survival of offspring by producing milk as a source of nutrition. The mammary gland development begins during embryogenesis as a rudimentary structure that grows into an elementary branched ductal tree and is embedded in one end of a larger mammary fat pad at birth. At the onset of ovarian function at puberty, the rudimentary ductal system undergoes dramatic morphogenetic change with ductal elongation and branching. During pregnancy, the alveolar differentiation and tertiary branching are completed, and during lactation, the mature milk-producing glands eventually develop. The early stages of mammary development are hormonal independent, whereas during puberty and pregnancy, mammary gland development is hormonal dependent. We highlight the current understanding of molecular regulators involved during different stages of mammary gland development.
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