title: Constitutive activation of RANK disrupts mammary cell fate leading to tumorigenesis.
abstract: Receptor Activator of NF-kappa B (RANK) pathway controls mammary gland development in mice but its role in mammary stem cell fate remains undefined. We show that constitutive RANK signaling expands luminal and basal mammary compartments including mammary stem and luminal progenitor cell pools and interferes with the generation of CD61+ and Sca1+ luminal cells and Elf5 expression. Impaired mammary cell commitment upon RANK overexpression leads to the accumulation of progenitors including K14+K8+ bipotent cells and the formation of heterogeneous tumors containing hyperplastic basal, luminal, and progenitor cells. RANK expression increases in wild-type mammary epithelia with age and parity, and spontaneous preneoplastic lesions express RANK and accumulate K14+K8+ cells. In human breast tumors, high RANK expression levels are also associated with altered mammary differentiation. These results suggest that increased RANK signaling interferes with mammary cell commitment, contributing to breast carcinogenesis.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pellegrini
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cordero
authors.forename: Cordero
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alex
authors.forename: Marta Ines
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Gallego
authors.forename: Gallego
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marta Ines
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Dougall
authors.forename: Dougall C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: William
authors.forename: Purificación
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Muñoz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Purificación
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pujana
authors.forename: Pujana Miguel
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Angel
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Suarez
authors.forename: Gonzalez-Suarez
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Eva
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D048430:Cell Shape; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D010298:Parity; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D007633:Keratins
keywords: Bipotent progenitors; Breast adenocarcinomas; CD61; Mammary stem cell fate; RANK