J M Rosen

National Cancer Institute (USA), Bethesda, MD, USA

Are you J M Rosen?

Claim your profile

Publications (77)392.02 Total impact

  • Source
    Article: P190A RhoGAP is required for mammary gland development.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: P190A and p190B Rho GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) are essential genes that have distinct, but overlapping roles in the developing nervous system. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that p190B is required for mammary gland morphogenesis, and we hypothesized that p190A might have a distinct role in the developing mammary gland. To test this hypothesis, we examined mammary gland development in p190A-deficient mice. P190A expression was detected by in situ hybridization in the developing E14.5day embryonic mammary bud and within the ducts, terminal end buds (TEBs), and surrounding stroma of the developing virgin mammary gland. In contrast to previous results with p190B, examination of p190A heterozygous mammary glands demonstrated that p190A deficiency disrupted TEB morphology, but did not significantly delay ductal outgrowth indicating haploinsufficiency for TEB development. To examine the effects of homozygous deletion of p190A, embryonic mammary buds were rescued by transplantation into the cleared fat pads of SCID/Beige mice. Complete loss of p190A function inhibited ductal outgrowth in comparison to wildtype transplants (51% vs. 94% fat pad filled). In addition, the transplantation take rate of p190A deficient whole gland transplants from E18.5 embryos was significantly reduced compared to wildtype transplants (31% vs. 90%, respectively). These results suggest that p190A function in both the epithelium and stroma is required for mammary gland development. Immunostaining for p63 demonstrated that the myoepithelial cell layer is disrupted in the p190A deficient glands, which may result from the defective cell adhesion between the cap and body cell layers detected in the TEBs. The number of estrogen- and progesterone receptor-positive cells, as well as the expression levels of these receptors was increased in p190A deficient outgrowths. These data suggest that p190A is required in both the epithelial and stromal compartments for ductal outgrowth and that it may play a role in mammary epithelial cell differentiation.
    Developmental Biology 09/2011; 360(1):1-10. · 4.07 Impact Factor
  • Article: The Isolation and Transfection of the Entire Rat β‐Casein Gene
    Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 12/2006; 478(1):274 - 277. · 3.15 Impact Factor
  • Article: Developmental and hormonal signals dramatically alter the localization and abundance of insulin receptor substrate proteins in the mammary gland.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Insulin receptor substrates (IRS) are central integrators of hormone, cytokine, and growth factor signaling. IRS proteins can be phosphorylated by a number of signaling pathways critical to normal mammary gland development. Studies in transgenic mice that overexpress IGF-I in the mammary gland suggested that IRS expression is important in the regulation of normal postlactational mammary involution. The goal of these studies was to examine IRS expression in the mouse mammary gland and determine the importance of IRS-1 to mammary development in the virgin mouse. IRS-1 and -2 show distinct patterns of protein expression in the virgin mouse mammary gland, and protein abundance is dramatically increased during pregnancy and lactation, but rapidly lost during involution. Consistent with hormone regulation, IRS-1 protein levels are reduced by ovariectomy, induced by combined treatment with estrogen and progesterone, and vary considerably throughout the estrous cycle. These changes occur without similar changes in mRNA levels, suggesting posttranscriptional control. Mammary glands from IRS-1 null mice have smaller fat pads than wild-type controls, but this reduction is proportional to the overall reduction in body size. Development of the mammary duct (terminal endbuds and branch points) is not altered by the loss of IRS-1, and pregnancy-induced proliferation is not changed. These data indicate that IRS undergo complex developmental and hormonal regulation in the mammary gland, and that IRS-1 is more likely to regulate mammary function in lactating mice than in virgin or pregnant mice.
    Endocrinology 07/2003; 144(6):2683-94. · 4.46 Impact Factor
  • Article: Persistent changes in gene expression induced by estrogen and progesterone in the rat mammary gland.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that an early full-term pregnancy is protective against breast cancer. We hypothesize that the hormonal milieu that is present during pregnancy results in persistent changes in the pattern of gene expression in the mammary gland, leading to permanent changes in cell fate that determine the subsequent proliferative response of the gland. To investigate this hypothesis, we have used suppression subtractive hybridization to identify genes that are persistently up-regulated in the glands of E- and progesterone (P)-treated Wistar-Furth rats 28 d after steroid hormone treatment compared with age-matched virgins. Using this approach, a number of genes displaying persistent altered expression in response to previous treatment with E and P were identified. Two markers have been characterized in greater detail: RbAp46 and a novel gene that specifies a noncoding RNA (designated G.B7). Both were persistently up-regulated in the lobules of the regressed gland and required previous treatment with both E and P for maximal persistent expression. RbAp46 has been implicated in a number of complexes involving chromatin remodeling, suggesting a mechanism whereby epigenetic factors responsible for persistent changes in gene expression may be related to the determination of cell fate. These results provide the first support at the molecular level for the hypothesis that hormone-induced persistent changes in gene expression are present in the involuted mammary gland.
    Molecular Endocrinology 12/2001; 15(11):1993-2009. · 4.54 Impact Factor
  • Article: Adenovirus-Cre-mediated recombination in mammary epithelial early progenitor cells.
    M Rijnkels, J M Rosen
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The transplantation of primary mammary epithelial cells after adenovirus-Cre-mediated recombination provides a new approach for the study of specific gene function during mammary gland development and in breast cancer. Most mammary-gland-specific promoters identified to date are regulated by lactogenic hormones. They are expressed predominantly in lobuloalveolar cells during pregnancy and lactation, but not during early stages of ductal morphogenesis in the mammary epithelial cell progenitors, which are primarily implicated in tumorigenesis. In transgenic mice these promoters will continually or repeatedly express Cre depending on the hormonal environment precluding the definition of cell lineages. To circumvent these limitations, we have taken advantage of the unique regenerative capacity of mammary epithelium to reconstitute a mammary gland in an epithelium-cleared fat pad in conjunction with transient Cre expression using recombinant adenovirus in primary cultures. This approach was validated using mice carrying reporter constructs that exclusively express the LacZ gene after Cre-mediated deletion of a floxed DNA fragment. These studies demonstrated that, following recombination, cells that are marked as genetically manipulated contribute to the reconstitution of the mammary gland. The presence of beta-galactosidase-expressing cells in serial transplants of the primary outgrowths indicated that early progenitor or stem cells were successfully targeted. With the increased availability of floxed alleles, this approach should greatly facilitate the study of gene function during early stages of mammary gland development and in breast cancer.
    Journal of Cell Science 10/2001; 114(Pt 17):3147-53. · 6.11 Impact Factor
  • Article: Cooperative effects of STAT5 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 5) and C/EBPbeta (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-beta) on beta-casein gene transcription are mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor.
    S L Wyszomierski, J M Rosen
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Beta-casein gene transcription is controlled primarily by a composite response element (CoRE) that integrates signaling from the lactogenic hormones, PRL, insulin, and hydrocortisone, in mammary epithelial cells. This CoRE contains binding sites for STAT5 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 5) and C/EBPbeta (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-beta) and several half-sites for glucocorticoid receptor (GR). To examine how interactions among these three transcription factors might regulate beta-casein gene transcription, a COS cell reconstitution system was employed. Cooperative transactivation was observed when all three factors were expressed, but unexpectedly was not seen between STAT5 and C/EBPbeta in the absence of full-length, transcriptionally active GR. Cooperativity required the amino-terminal transactivation domain of C/EBPbeta, and neither C/EBPalpha nor C/EBPdelta was able to substitute for C/EBPbeta when cotransfected with STAT5 and GR. Different GR determinants were needed for transcriptional cooperation between STAT5 and GR as compared with those required for all three transcription factors. These studies provide some new insights into the mechanisms responsible for high level, tissue-specific expression conferred by the beta-casein CoRE.
    Molecular Endocrinology 03/2001; 15(2):228-40. · 4.54 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: A role for CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta-liver-enriched inhibitory protein in mammary epithelial cell proliferation.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The transcription factor, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta), regulates the expression of genes involved in proliferation and terminal differentiation. Dimerization of the dominant-negative C/EBPbeta-liver-enriched inhibitory protein (LIP) isoform with the C/EBPbeta-liver-enriched activating protein (LAP) isoform inhibits the transcriptional activation of genes involved in differentiation. Consequently, an increase in LIP levels may inhibit terminal differentiation and lead to proliferation. C/EBPbeta-LIP and LAP are crucial for mammary gland development (G. W. Robinson et al., Genes Dev., 12: 1907-1916, 1998; T. N. Seagroves et al., Genes Dev., 12: 1917-1928, 1998) and are also overexpressed in breast cancer (B. Raught et al., Cancer Res., 56: 4382-4386. 1996; C. A. Zahnow et al., J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 89: 1887-1891, 1997); however, little is known about how these isoforms differentially regulate cell cycle progression. To address this question, C/EBPbeta-LIP was overexpressed in both the mammary glands of transgenic mice and in cultured TM3 mammary epithelial cells. Here we report that the involuted mammary glands from transgenic mice overexpressing C/EBPbeta-LIP contain both focal and diffuse alveolar hyperplasia and, less frequently, contain mammary intraepithelial neoplasias (high grade) and invasive and noninvasive carcinomas. Likewise, cultured TM3 cells, stably expressing C/EBPbeta-LIP, showed an increase in proliferation and foci formation attributable to a reentry into S-phase during cellular confluence. These results demonstrate that C/EBPbeta-LIP can induce epithelial proliferation and the formation of mammary hyperplasias and suggest that a C/EBPbeta-LIP-initiated growth cascade may be susceptible to additional oncogenic hits, which could result in the initiation and progression of neoplasia.
    Cancer Research 02/2001; 61(1):261-9. · 7.86 Impact Factor
  • Article: Signal transducers and activators of transcription 5B potentiates v-Src-mediated transformation of NIH-3T3 cells.
    A V Kazansky, J M Rosen
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Previously, we reported that whereas both signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 5A and STAT5B can be activated with respect to tyrosine phosphorylation and DNA binding potential by Src kinase, only STAT5B was translocated to the nucleus, where it presumably activates unique downstream responses. To help elucidate the functional consequences of STAT5B activation by v-src, the properties of stably transfected NIH-3T3 cells containing both an intact and a dominant negative, COOH-terminal-truncated isoform of STAT5B were investigated. STAT5B enhanced the transforming potential of v-Src as reflected by both an increase in focus formation and growth in soft agar. STAT5B also enhanced v-Src-induced cell cycle progression and cell motility in NIH-3T3 cells. Furthermore, the dominant negative, COOH-terminal-truncated isoform of STAT5B was able to partially suppress v-Src-mediated cell transformation. These results support the hypothesis that STAT5B may enhance Src/Abl-induced tumorigenesis. Accordingly, the equilibrium between STAT5B and STAT5A and their naturally occurring truncated forms may therefore play a key role in the etiology of certain cancers.
    Cell growth & differentiation: the molecular biology journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 02/2001; 12(1):1-7.
  • Article: A gain of function p53 mutant promotes both genomic instability and cell survival in a novel p53-null mammary epithelial cell model.
    K L Murphy, A P Dennis, J M Rosen
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Approximately 40% of human breast cancers contain alterations in the tumor suppressor p53. The p53 172R-H gain-of-function mutant (equivalent to the common 175R-H human breast cancer mutant) has been shown to promote aneuploidy and tumorigenesis in the mammary gland in transgenic mice and may affect genomic stability in part by causing centrosome abnormalities. The precise mechanism of action of these gain-of-function mutants is not well understood, and has been studied primarily in fibroblast cell lines. A novel p53-null mouse mammary epithelial cell line developed from p53-null mice has been used in adenovirus-mediated transient transfection experiments to study the properties of this p53 mutant. Marked centrosome amplification and an increased frequency of aberrant mitoses were observed within 72 h of introduction of p53 172R-H. However, few cells with aberrant centrosome numbers were observed in cells stably expressing the p53 172R-H mutant. Furthermore, stable expression of this p53 mutant reduced both basal and DNA damage-induced apoptosis. This result may be mediated in part through abrogation of p73 function. The p53 172R-H mutant, therefore, appears to influence tumorigenesis at the molecular level in two distinct ways: promoting the development of aneuploidy in cells while also altering their apoptotic response after DNA damage.
    The FASEB Journal 12/2000; 14(14):2291-302. · 5.71 Impact Factor
  • Article: P190-B, a Rho-GTPase-activating protein, is differentially expressed in terminal end buds and breast cancer.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Microdissection and differential display PCR were used to identify genes preferentially expressed in the highly proliferative terminal end buds (TEBs) in the mammary gland of 45-day-old virgin rats. One clone exhibited 87% homology to the human p190-B gene encoding a novel Rho-Gap. Using in situ hybridization, p190-B was detected in both the TEBs and the terminal ducts, with the highest expression observed in the outer layer of TEBs. During normal mammary gland development, p190-B mRNA expression was highest in the virgin mammary gland and decreased during late pregnancy and lactation. Interestingly, increased levels of p190-B mRNA relative to the normal mammary gland were seen in a subset of murine mammary tumors that appeared to be less well differentiated and potentially more aggressive. Transient transfection of a p190-B expression construct into MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cells resulted in disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, which suggests a role for p190-B in regulating the signaling pathways that influence cell migration and invasion. These results suggest that p190-B may be required for virgin mammary gland development, and its aberrant expression may occur in breast cancer.
    Cell growth & differentiation: the molecular biology journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 08/2000; 11(7):343-54.
  • Article: C/EBPbeta (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein) controls cell fate determination during mammary gland development.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Deletion of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)beta results in a severe inhibition of lobuloalveolar development in the mouse mammary gland. Because progesterone receptor (PR) is requisite for alveolar development, the expression of PR was investigated in C/EBPbeta-/- mice. Unexpectedly, the number of PR-positive cells, as well as the levels of PR mRNA, were elevated 3-fold in the mammary glands of C/EBPbeta-/- mice. Furthermore, in contrast to wild-type nulliparous mice, in which PR distribution shifted from a uniform to nonuniform pattern between 8-12 weeks of age, C/EBPbeta-/- mice exhibited uniform PR distribution throughout all stages of mammary development analyzed. No change in C/EBPbeta mRNA levels was observed in the mammary glands of PR-/- mice, suggesting that PR acts in a pathway either in parallel to or downstream of C/EBPbeta. The overexpression and disrupted cellular distribution of PR in C/EBPbeta-/- mice were coincident with a striking 10-fold decrease in cell proliferation after acute steroid hormone treatment, assayed by incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine. In wild-type mice, PR and bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells were adjacent to each other and rarely colocalized. No differences in the level or pattern of PR expression were observed in the uterus, suggesting that C/EBPbeta influences PR in a mammary-specific fashion. Together, these data suggest that C/EBPbeta may control cell fate decisions in the mammary gland through the appropriate temporal and spatial expression of molecular markers, such as PR, that induce the proliferation of alveolar progenitor cells via juxtacrine mechanisms.
    Molecular Endocrinology 04/2000; 14(3):359-68. · 4.54 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: Mutant p53 and genomic instability in a transgenic mouse model of breast cancer.
    K L Murphy, J M Rosen
    Oncogene 03/2000; 19(8):1045-51. · 6.37 Impact Factor
  • Article: Cooperative interaction between mutant p53 and des(1-3)IGF-I accelerates mammary tumorigenesis.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Mammary tumorigenesis was analysed in transgenic mice which overexpress des(1-3)hIGF-I (WAP-DES) and/or a mutant form of p53 (p53172R-H). Nonlactating, multiparous WAP-DES mice exhibited hyperplastic lesions termed mammary interepithelial neoplasia (MIN) which constitutively expressed WAP-DES. By 23 months of age, 53% of the WAP-DES mice developed mammary adenocarcinomas. A 75% reduction in both apoptosis and proliferation was observed in the normal mammary glands of WAP-DES mice. Mammary tumor incidence in WAP-DES/p53 bitransgenic mice was similar to that of WAP-DES and 2 - 3-fold greater than that of nontransgenic and p53172R-H females. Tumor latency, however, was reduced by 8 months in bitransgenic mice as compared to mice of the other three genotypes. Aneuploidy was frequently observed in tumors from bitransgenic and p53172R-H mice, but not from mice expressing only the WAP-DES transgene. Expression of IGFBP3 was elevated in tumors from WAP-DES, but not bitransgenic mice, indicating an alteration in the p53/IGF-I axis. These studies indicate that overexpression of des(1-3)hIGF-I increases the frequency of MIN and stochastic mammary tumors and that the appearance of tumors displaying genomic instability is accelerated by mutant p53172R-H. Oncogene (2000) 19, 889 - 898.
    Oncogene 03/2000; 19(7):889-98. · 6.37 Impact Factor
  • Article: Bcl-2 expression delays mammary tumor development in dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-treated transgenic mice.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Bcl-2 is known to have dual antiproliferative and antiapoptotic roles. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in the mammary gland using a whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter-driven Bcl-2 transgene inhibits apoptosis in the mammary gland during pregnancy, lactation, and involution, and also counteracts apoptosis induced by overexpression of a mutant p53 transgene (WAP-p53 172 R-L). WAP-Bcl-2 mice and nontransgenic controls were treated with the carcinogen dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Surprisingly, the nontransgenic mice developed mammary tumors with decreased latency. Tumors arising in WAP-Bcl-2 mice displayed substantially reduced levels of proliferation relative to those seen in nontransgenic mice (P < 0.015), perhaps resulting in the observed increase in tumor latency following carcinogen treatment. This WAP-Bcl-2 mouse tumor model reflects the situation seen in some human breast cancers overexpressing Bcl-2, where expression of Bcl-2 has been shown to correlate with a lower proliferative index in tumors.
    Oncogene 11/1999; 18(47):6597-604. · 6.37 Impact Factor
  • Article: Differential effects of prolactin and src/abl kinases on the nuclear translocation of STAT5B and STAT5A.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: In this study, DNA binding and tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT5A and STAT5B were compared with their subcellular localization determined using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Following prolactin activation, both STAT5A and STAT5B were rapidly translocated into the nucleus and displayed a detergent-resistant, punctate nuclear staining pattern. Similar to prolactin induction, src activation resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation and DNA binding of both STAT5A and STAT5B. However, nuclear translocation of only STAT5B but not STAT5A was observed. This selective nuclear translocation appears to be mediated via the carboxyl-terminal sequences in STAT5B. Furthermore, overexpression of a dominant negative kinase-inactive mutant of JAK2 prevented prolactin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of STAT5A and STAT5B but did not block src kinase activation and nuclear translocation of STAT5B. In co-transfection assays, prolactin-mediated activation but not src kinase-mediated activation of STAT5B resulted in the induction of a beta-casein promoter-driven reporter construct. These results suggest that STAT5 activation by src may occur by a mechanism distinct from that employed in cytokine activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, resulting in the selective nuclear translocation of STAT5B.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 09/1999; 274(32):22484-92. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Glucocorticoid receptor/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) interactions enhance STAT5 activation by prolonging STAT5 DNA binding and tyrosine phosphorylation.
    S L Wyszomierski, J Yeh, J M Rosen
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The regulation of casein gene expression by both PRL and glucocorticoids has been a well studied paradigm for understanding how the signaling pathways regulated by these two hormones interact in the nucleus. Previous studies have demonstrated that the downstream effectors of these pathways, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), are associated via protein-protein interactions and act synergistically to enhance beta-casein gene transcription. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy was used to demonstrate that PRL-activated STAT5 can translocate GR into the nucleus, and that ligand-bound GR can translocate STAT5 into the nucleus. This provided further support of an interaction between the two proteins. To better understand the mechanism of transcriptional synergy between STAT5 and GR, experiments were performed in cells transiently transfected with STAT5 alone or with STAT5 and GR. GR cotransfection enhanced the DNA-binding activity of STAT5 without affecting STAT5 protein levels. The enhancement of STAT5 DNA binding by GR resulted in the formation of a complex that exhibited prolonged DNA binding after PRL treatment. This was correlated with increased STAT5 tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting that GR enhances STAT5 DNA binding by modulating the rate of STAT5 dephosphorylation. In contrast, cotransfection of the estrogen receptor resulted in an overall decrease in STAT5 tyrosine phosphorylation, without changing the kinetics of dephosphorylation. Enhancement of STAT5 activity by GR is, therefore, one component of the transcriptional synergy exhibited by STAT5 and GR at the beta-casein promoter and is an example of how transcription factors at a composite response element may modulate each other's activity.
    Molecular Endocrinology 03/1999; 13(2):330-43. · 4.54 Impact Factor
  • Article: Regulation of milk protein gene expression.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Studies using both transgenic mice and transfected mammary epithelial cells have established that composite response elements containing multiple binding sites for several transcription factors mediate the hormonal and developmental regulation of milk protein gene expression. Activation of signal transduction pathways by lactogenic hormones and cell-substratum interactions activate transcription factors and change chromatin structure and milk protein gene expression. The casein promoters have binding sites for signal transducers and activators of transcription 5, Yin Yang 1, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein, and the glucocorticoid receptor. The whey protein gene promoters have binding sites for nuclear factor I, as well as the glucocorticoid receptor and the signal transducers and activators of transcription 5. The functional importance of some of these factors in mammary gland development and milk protein gene expression has been elucidated by studying mice in which some of these factors have been deleted.
    Annual Review of Nutrition 02/1999; 19:407-36. · 9.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: C/EBPbeta, but not C/EBPalpha, is essential for ductal morphogenesis, lobuloalveolar proliferation, and functional differentiation in the mouse mammary gland.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) are differentially expressed throughout mammary gland development and interact with binding sites within the promoter of a milk protein gene, beta-casein. The specific roles of C/EBPbeta and C/EBPalpha in mouse mammary gland development and differentiation have been investigated in mice that carry targeted deletions of these genes. C/EBPbeta-/- virgin mice exhibited cystic, enlarged mammary ducts with decreased secondary branching. Transplantation of C/EBPbeta-/- mammary epithelium into the cleared mammary fat pads of nude mice confirmed that this defect in ductal morphogenesis was intrinsic to the epithelium. When treated with estrogen/progesterone (E+P) to simulate pregnancy, C/EBPbeta-/- mammary glands displayed only limited lobuloalveolar development and ductal side branching. Primary mammary epithelial cells obtained from E+P-treated C/EBPbeta-/- mice that were cultured on extracellular matrix gels did not functionally differentiate in response to lactogenic hormones despite their organization into three-dimensional structures. Expression of beta-casein protein was inhibited 85%-100% and whey acidic protein (WAP) was undetectable. In contrast, no detectable alterations in mammary development or beta-casein expression were observed in mammary outgrowths derived from newborn C/EBPalpha-/- mammary epithelium transplanted into the cleared mammary fat pads of syngeneic hosts. These results demonstrate that C/EBPbeta, but not C/EBPalpha, is required for ductal morphogenesis, lobuloalveolar development, and functional differentiation of mammary epithelial cells.
    Genes & Development 07/1998; 12(12):1917-28. · 11.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: A transgenic mouse model for mammary carcinogenesis.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Missense mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor occur frequently in human breast cancer and influence both the prognosis and response to chemotherapy. Amino acid 175 (equivalent to murine 172) is the second most common site of missense mutations in p53 in human breast cancer. Over 95% of these mutations are arginine-to-histidine (R-H) substitutions resulting in a gain-of-function, and not merely a dominant-negative phenotype. Transgenic mice expressing a p53 172(R-H) construct targeted to the mammary gland by means of a whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter were characterized as a model system in order to determine the specific effects of this mutation on mammary tumorigenesis. Although transgene expression alone had no apparent effect on normal mammary development, transgenic mice treated with the chemical carcinogen dimethylbenz(a)anthracene developed tumors with much shorter latency than did control littermates and had a greater tumor burden. Tumors arising in transgenic mice did not exhibit either decreased apoptosis or increased cell proliferation relative to tumors arising in nontransgenic littermates, but did display increased genomic instability. Large pleiomorphic nuclei were visible in many tumors from transgenic mice, and DNA flow analysis confirmed the presence of significant aneuploid cell populations. Since these transgenic mice develop very few spontaneous tumors, while accelerating carcinogen-and oncogene-mediated tumorigenesis, this mouse model will, therefore, be useful in the investigation of early events in mammary tumorigenesis. It may also be used as a preclinical model to test newly developed chemotherapeutic strategies.
    Oncogene 02/1998; 16(8):997-1007. · 6.37 Impact Factor
  • Article: Composite response elements mediate hormonal and developmental regulation of milk protein gene expression.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Our laboratory has been studying the mechanisms by which hormones regulate the expression of differentiated function in the normal mammary gland and how these regulatory mechanisms have deviated in breast cancer. Two rat milk protein genes, encoding beta-casein and whey acidic protein, have been employed as molecular markers of mammary epithelial cell differentiation. Composite response elements containing multiple binding sites for several transcription factors mediate the hormonal and developmental regulation of milk protein gene expression. In the whey protein gene promoters, these include binding sites for nuclear factor (NF)-I, as well as the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat5). In the casein promoters, these include binding sites for Stat5, Yin Yang 1 (YY1), GR and the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP). The C/EBP family of DNA binding proteins may play a pivotal role in maintaining the balance between cell proliferation and terminal differentiation in mammary epithelial cells. During normal mammary gland development, expression of LIP (liver-enriched inhibitory protein, a dominant-negative isoform of C/EBP beta) is hormonally regulated and correlates with cell proliferation during pregnancy. LIP can form heterodimers with other C/EBP family members and suppress their transcriptional activity. In contrast, C/EBP alpha is predominantly expressed during lactation following terminal differentiation. Elevated LIP levels have been detected in mouse, rat and human breast tumours of different aetiologies. This provides a mechanism, therefore, to block terminal differentiation and facilitate continued proliferation.
    Biochemical Society Symposium 01/1998; 63:101-13. · 2.74 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2011
    • National Cancer Institute (USA)
      • Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program
      Bethesda, MD, USA
  • 1983–2011
    • Baylor College of Medicine
      • Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
      Houston, TX, USA
  • 1998
    • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
      Chevy Chase, MD, USA
  • 1997
    • National Institutes of Health
      • Section on Developmental Biology
      Bethesda, MD, USA
  • 1995
    • Texas Children's Hospital
      Houston, TX, USA