Abstract
Understanding why BRCA1 mutation carriers have a predilection for developing clinically aggressive basal-like breast tumors could inform the development of targeted treatment or prevention strategies. Analysis of both mouse and human mammary epithelial cells has identified a role for BRCA1 in orchestrating differentiation. The ability to isolate discrete epithelial subpopulations from mammary tissue has recently directed attention to luminal progenitor cells - the descendants of mammary stem cells - as the likely 'cells-of-origin' in BRCA1-associated breast cancer. A new publication has confirmed the importance of aberrant luminal cells as key culprits and provided insights on how BRCA1 haploinsufficiency biases luminal cells toward a basal-like fate through aberrant expression of the transcription factor SLUG.
Highlights
Understanding why breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) mutation carriers have a predilection for developing clinically aggressive basallike breast tumors could inform the development of targeted treatment or prevention strategies
Basal-like tumors were originally defined on the basis of microarray studies, in which their molecular signature suggested similarities to basal cells resident in normal breast epithelium
A recent study by Proia et al [8] further highlighted the relevance of luminal cells in haploinsufficient BRCA1 human breast tissue
Summary
Understanding why BRCA1 mutation carriers have a predilection for developing clinically aggressive basallike breast tumors could inform the development of targeted treatment or prevention strategies. Basal-like tumors were originally defined on the basis of microarray studies, in which their molecular signature suggested similarities to basal cells resident in normal breast epithelium. *Correspondence: lindeman@wehi.edu.au 1Stem Cells and Cancer Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
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