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Updated: Aug 1, 2025
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Three Dimensional Cultures: A Tool To Study Normal Acinar Architecture vs. Malignant Transformation Of Breast Cells
Published on: April 25, 2014
19.9K
Polarity in breast development and cancer
Mara K M Whitford1, Luke McCaffrey2
1Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Current Topics in Developmental Biology
|April 26, 2023
Summary
Apical-basal polarity is crucial for normal breast development and cancer progression. Understanding how polarity proteins function in different contexts is key to targeting breast cancer effectively.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Epithelial tissue architecture undergoes significant remodeling during mammary gland development and breast cancer progression.
- Apical-basal polarity is fundamental for epithelial cell organization, proliferation, survival, and migration, playing a critical role in morphogenesis.
Approach:
- This review synthesizes current knowledge on apical-basal polarity in breast development and cancer.
- It examines various models, including cell lines, organoids, and in vivo systems, evaluating their strengths and limitations for studying polarity.
- The review discusses the roles of core polarity proteins in development and disease, including alterations in breast cancer.
Key Points:
- Core polarity proteins regulate key developmental processes like branching morphogenesis and lactation.
- Alterations in polarity genes are linked to breast cancer progression, patient outcomes, and therapeutic resistance.
- Polarity programs influence the tumor stroma through epithelial-stroma crosstalk and non-epithelial cell signaling.
Conclusions:
- The function of polarity proteins is highly context-dependent, varying with developmental or cancer stage and subtype.
- Further research into polarity mechanisms offers potential therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.
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