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The Role of NRG3 in Mammary Development

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Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

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.

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Abbreviations

ECM:

extracellular matrix

ERBB4:

v-erb-a erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 4 (avian)

HER4:

human epidermal growth factor receptor 4 (also know as ERBB4 which is the nomenclature used in this review)

hFBNRG3:

human fetal brain Neuregulin3

MAPK:

mitogen-activated protein kinase

MEC:

mammary epithelial cell

NRG3:

Neuregulin3

PI3-K:

phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

rNRG3:

recombinant NRG3

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Acknowledgements

Work in the laboratory is funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research. I am grateful to Alan Ashworth for critical comments and discussions.

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  1. The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JB, UK

    Beatrice A. Howard

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Howard, B.A. The Role of NRG3 in Mammary Development. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 13, 195–203 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-008-9082-8

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