Gene expression profiling of early involuting mammary gland reveals novel genes potentially relevant to human breast cancer

Mammary gland involution represents one of the most dramatic examples of programmed cell death/apoptosis and tissue regression during development, yet large gaps still exist in the understanding of the mechanisms involved, and the key factors that trigger involution, are not yet identified. With the focus on identifying novel genes associated with mammary gland regression, we used microarray analysis to examine differentially expressed genes during early mammary gland involution in the mouse. We then examined the relevance of candidate genes to human tumorigenesis and identified a number of genes not previously implicated or not well characterized in human breast cancer. The expression levels of these genes in human breast cancer were confirmed in breast cancer cell lines and breast tumor tissues. This pilot study demonstrates proof of principle that through the analysis of gene expression during mammary gland involution, it may be possible to identify novel genes relevant human breast cancer.