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Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland
Published on: December 1, 2015
Microenvironmental control of cell fate decisions in mammary gland development and cancer
Gat Rauner1, Charlotte Kuperwasser2
1Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
Abstract:
Cell fate decisions are critical for adequate tissue development, maintenance and regeneration. In the mammary gland, epithelial cell fates are tightly controlled by the microenvironment. Here, we review how cell fate decisions are regulated by components of the microenvironment during mammary gland development and how pathological changes in the microenvironment can alter cell fates, leading to malignancy. Specifically, we describe the current understanding of how mammary cell fate is controlled and directed by three elements: the extracellular matrix, the immune microenvironment, and hormones-and how these elements can converge to create microenvironments that promote a fourth element: DNA damage.
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