The role of NRG3 in mammary development.
The Neuregulin gene family encodes EGF-containing ligands which mediate their effects by binding to the ERBB receptor tyrosine kinases, a signalling network with important roles in both mammary gland development and breast cancer. Neuregulin3 (NRG3), a ligand for ERBB4, promotes early mammary morphogenesis and acts during specification of the mammary placode, an aggregate of epithelial cells that forms during mid-embryogenesis. Recent studies have shown that NRG3 can alter the cell fate of other epidermal progenitor populations when NRG3 is mis-expressed throughout the basal layer of the developing epidermis with the K14 promoter. Here evidence for a key function for NRG3 in promoting early mammary morphogenesis and the implication for the role of NRG3 in breast cancer and establishment of the mammary lineage are discussed.
Howard
Beatrice A
BA
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JB, UK. beatrice.howard@icr.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D042361:Mammary Glands, Human / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D020880:Neuregulins; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4; D015398:Signal Transduction
D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C486357:NRG3 protein, human; D020880:Neuregulins; C108113:Nrg3 protein, mouse; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C587689:ERBB4 protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors; C587690:Erbb4 protein, mouse; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4