Different gene expression of mouse transforming growth factor alpha between pregnant mammary glands and mammary tumors in C3H/He mice.

Mouse transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) gene expression was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method in pregnant mammary glands and mammary tumors in C3H/He mice. Both normal pregnant and tumorous mammary tissues expressed mRNA for mouse TGF alpha. When primers from rat TGF alpha cDNA sequence as well as those in the previous report [12] were used, the PCR amplified products were the same sizes in both normal pregnant mammary gland and tumor. However, there were obviously different PCR products between pregnant mammary gland and tumor in case of using primers according to the mouse TGF alpha cDNA sequence. In tumors, various sizes of PCR products were detected in addition of a predicted size. This is unlikely the experimental artifact, but the polymorphic TGF alpha gene expression is induced in mammary tumors.