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Comparative mammary gland postnatal development and tumourigenesis in the sheep, cow, cat and rabbit: Exploring the menagerie.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Abstract

Sheep, cows, cats, and rabbits are kept by humans for agricultural purposes and as companion animals. Much of the mammary research in these species has focussed on mastitis in the case of ruminants and rabbits, and mammary tumourigenesis in cats and rabbits. However, similarities with the human breast suggest that these species may be currently underutilised as valuable comparative models of breast development and disease. The mammary gland undergoes cyclical postnatal development that will be considered here in the context of these non-traditional model species, with a focus on the mammary microenvironment at different postnatal developmental stages. The second part of this review will consider mammary tumour development. Ruminants are thought to be relatively 'resistant' to mammary tumourigenesis, likely due to multiple factors including functional properties of ruminant mammary stem/progenitor cells, diet, and/or the fact that production animals undergo a first parity soon after puberty. By contrast, unneutered female cats and rabbits have a propensity to develop mammary neoplasms, and subsets of these may constitute valuable comparative models of breast cancer.

Description

Keywords

Cat, Cow, Mammary gland, Rabbit, Sheep, Tumour, Animals, Carcinogenesis, Cats, Cattle, Female, Mammary Glands, Animal, Postnatal Care, Rabbits, Sheep

Journal Title

Semin Cell Dev Biol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1084-9521
1096-3634

Volume Title

114

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland [grant number ICA 1019 02]; and the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation Norman Hayward Fund [grant number NHF_2016_03_KH].