Cripto: a novel epidermal growth factor (EGF)-related peptide in mammary gland development and neoplasia
✍ Scribed by David S. Salomon; Caterina Bianco; Marta De Santis
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 243 KB
- Volume
- 21
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0265-9247
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Growth and morphogenesis in the mammary gland depend on locally derived growth factors such as those in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) superfamily. Cripto-1 (CR-1, human; Cr-1, mouse)-also known as teratocarcinoma-derived growth factor-1-is a novel EGF-related protein that induces branching morphogenesis in mammary epithelial cells both in vitro and in vivo and inhibits the expression of various milk proteins. In the mouse, Cr-1 is expressed in the growing terminal end buds in the virgin mouse mammary gland and expression increases during pregnancy and lactation. Cr-1/CR-1 is overexpressed in mouse and human mammary tumors and inappropriate overexpression of Cr-1 in mouse mammary epithelial cells can lead to the clonal expansion of ductal hyperplasias. Taken together, this evidence suggests that Cr-1/CR-1 performs a role in normal mammary gland development and that it might contribute to the early stages of mouse mammary tumorigenesis and the pathobiology of human breast cancer. BioEs-