Wnt-4 expression induces a pregnancy-like growth pattern in reconstituted mammary glands in virgin mice - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 1995 Aug;170(2):553-63.

doi: 10.1006/dbio.1995.1236.

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Wnt-4 expression induces a pregnancy-like growth pattern in reconstituted mammary glands in virgin mice

J M Bradbury et al. Dev Biol. 1995 Aug.

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Abstract

Expression of Wnt-4, a member of the Wnt gene family, is induced during early pregnancy in the mouse mammary gland. To investigate the function of Wnt-4, we used a recombinant retrovirus to constitutively express the gene in transplanted mammary epithelium grown in virgin animals. In fully grown glands, Wnt-4 expression resulted in ducts that were more highly branched than normal and caused some premature alveolar development. These changes resembled those seen during pregnancy, suggesting that endogenous Wnt-4 expression may regulate epithelial branching in early pregnancy. The modified growth pattern induced by Wnt-4 expression was similar to that induced by Wnt-1, one of the members of the Wnt gene family activated by mouse mammary tumour virus. As Wnt-1 is not normally expressed in the mammary gland, it may exert its effect on the mammary gland by activating a developmental pathway normally regulated by Wnt-4.

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