In vitro models of early neoplastic transformation of human mammary epithelial cells.

Abstract

AbstractAbout 80% of all human cancers are carcinomas, representing oncogenic transformation of epithelial cells. In-vitro models of epithelial cell transformation are therefore of great interest to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of human cancer. Malignant transformation is a multistep process in which genetic changes and environmental factors, including viruses, carcinogens, radiation, and dietary factors, impinge on common cellular pathways resulting in uncontrolled proliferation, a hallmark of tumorigenic process (1,2). Understanding the nature of these cellular pathways is a central goal in cancer biology. A critical event in oncogenesis is the conversion of normal epithelial cells with a finite proliferative potential into cells endowed with an ability to multiply continuously, a trait that allows the accumulation of further genetic alterations resulting in full malignancy. In vitro, this behavior manifests as continuous proliferation of cells beyond their limited life span, a process referred to as immortalization. Understanding the biochemical basis of immortalization is therefore likely to point to crucial tumor suppressor pathways that ensure the untransformed state of normal epithelial cells.KeywordsHuman Papilloma VirusMammary Epithelial CellPopulation DoublingNormal Epithelial CellReduction MammoplastyThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.