Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
Breast Cancer Res. 2010;12(4):309. doi: 10.1186/bcr2627. Epub 2010 Aug 31.
The vital role of ovarian hormones in the development of the normal breast foreshadowed their importance in mammary stem cell regulation. Two recent papers reveal that 17β-estradiol and progesterone control the size and repopulating ability of the mammary stem cell compartment. This likely occurs via paracrine signaling from steroid receptor-positive luminal cells to steroid receptor-negative stem cells. These findings illuminate roles for the female sex steroids in mobilizing the stem cell pool in the normal breast, and also provide a crucial link between the known hormonal risks of breast cancer and the potential stem cell origin of this disease.
卵巢激素在正常乳腺发育中的重要作用预示着其在乳腺干细胞调控中的重要性。最近的两篇论文揭示了 17β-雌二醇和孕酮控制乳腺干细胞隔室的大小和再群体能力。这可能是通过类固醇受体阳性腔细胞到类固醇受体阴性干细胞的旁分泌信号发生的。这些发现阐明了女性性激素在动员正常乳腺中的干细胞池中的作用，并为乳腺癌的已知激素风险与该疾病的潜在干细胞起源之间提供了重要联系。
