Key signaling nodes in mammary gland development and cancer: β-catenin
-
* Corresponding author: Pamela Cowin cowinp01@nyumc.org
1 Department of Cell Biology, MSB 621, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
2 Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
Breast Cancer Research 2010, 12:213 doi:10.1186/bcr2723
Published: 3 November 2010Abstract
β-Catenin plays important roles in mammary development and tumorigenesis through its functions in cell adhesion, signal transduction and regulation of cell-context-specific gene expression. Studies in mice have highlighted the critical role of β-catenin signaling for stem cell biology at multiple stages of mammary development. Deregulated β-catenin signaling disturbs stem and progenitor cell dynamics and induces mammary tumors in mice. Recent data showing deregulated β-catenin signaling in metaplastic and basal-type tumors suggest a similar link to reactivated developmental pathways and human breast cancer. The present review will discuss β-catenin as a central transducer of numerous signaling pathways and its role in mammary development and breast cancer.