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Protein kinase expression during murine mammary development.
L A Chodosh1, H P Gardner, J V Rajan
1Department of Molecular & Cellular Engineering, Division of Endocrinology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 612 Biomedical Research Building II/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Developmental Biology
|March 1, 2000
Summary
Researchers identified 41 protein kinases in breast cancer cell lines and developing mouse mammary glands. Most kinases showed developmental regulation, suggesting a broader role in mammary development than previously understood.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Mammary gland development, particularly during puberty and pregnancy, involves significant proliferation and differentiation.
- Protein kinases regulate these processes and are implicated in neoplastic transformation in breast tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize protein kinases expressed in the murine mammary gland during development and in breast cancer cell lines.
- To investigate the developmental regulation of these kinases and their expression patterns.
Main Methods:
- A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based cloning strategy was employed.
- Expression analysis was conducted throughout postnatal mammary gland development and in various mammary epithelial cell lines from transgenic breast cancer models.
Main Results:
- Forty-one protein kinases were identified in breast cancer cell lines and the developing murine mammary gland.
- Most identified kinases exhibited developmental regulation, with distinct temporal expression patterns observed in successive waves during development.
- Several kinases not previously known to be expressed in the mammary gland were found to be present.
Conclusions:
- The repertoire of kinases involved in regulating normal mammary gland development is likely more extensive than currently recognized.
- These findings provide a foundation for understanding kinase roles in mammary development and breast cancer.