Evaluation of molecular markers in canine mammary tumors: correlation with histological grading

The objective of this study was to evaluate molecular markers involved in mammary tumorigenesis in a canine model that mimics many essential elements of human breast cancer. Thirty mammary gland tumors and control tissues obtained from female dogs were included in the study. We analyzed changes in the expression of markers of hormone and receptor status (estradiol, estrogen receptor; ER and HER-2/neu), hormone metabolism (CYP1A1 and CYP1B1), cell proliferation and survival [proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), glutathione S-transferase-P (GST-P), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB-p50, NF-kappaB-p65), phosphorylated-inhibitor of kappaB-alpha (p-IkappaB-alpha) and IkappaB], apoptosis (Bcl-2, Bax, caspases, Apaf-1, cytochrome-C, and PARP), invasion [matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 (MMP-2, MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), and reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK)], angiogenesis [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)], and epigenetics [DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt-1), histone deacetylase (HDAC-1)] by immunohistochemical localization and Western blot analysis and correlated these with histological grade. The present study provides evidence that increased expression of ER, HER-2/neu, estradiol, and its metabolizing enzymes, as well as proteins involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis evasion, invasion, and angiogenesis may confer a selective growth advantage to canine mammary tumors. To our knowledge this is the first report on the hallmark capabilities of canine mammary tumors, which lends credence to the view that the dog is a valuable model for human breast cancer studies.