Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination
The stromal microenvironment regulates mammary gland development and tumorigenesis. In normal mammary glands, the stromal microenvironment encompasses the ducts and contains fibroblasts, the main regulators of branching morphogenesis. Understanding the way fibroblast signaling pathways regulate mamm...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/6/1697 |
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| author | Angelica Avagliano Giuseppe Fiume Maria Rosaria Ruocco Nunzia Martucci Eleonora Vecchio Luigi Insabato Daniela Russo Antonello Accurso Stefania Masone Stefania Montagnani Alessandro Arcucci |
| author_facet | Angelica Avagliano Giuseppe Fiume Maria Rosaria Ruocco Nunzia Martucci Eleonora Vecchio Luigi Insabato Daniela Russo Antonello Accurso Stefania Masone Stefania Montagnani Alessandro Arcucci |
| author_sort | Angelica Avagliano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The stromal microenvironment regulates mammary gland development and tumorigenesis. In normal mammary glands, the stromal microenvironment encompasses the ducts and contains fibroblasts, the main regulators of branching morphogenesis. Understanding the way fibroblast signaling pathways regulate mammary gland development may offer insights into the mechanisms of breast cancer (BC) biology. In fact, the unregulated mammary fibroblast signaling pathways, associated with alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and branching morphogenesis, drive breast cancer microenvironment (BCM) remodeling and cancer growth. The BCM comprises a very heterogeneous tissue containing non-cancer stromal cells, namely, breast cancer-associated fibroblasts (BCAFs), which represent most of the tumor mass. Moreover, the different components of the BCM highly interact with cancer cells, thereby generating a tightly intertwined network. In particular, BC cells activate recruited normal fibroblasts in BCAFs, which, in turn, promote BCM remodeling and metastasis. Thus, comparing the roles of normal fibroblasts and BCAFs in the physiological and metastatic processes, could provide a deeper understanding of the signaling pathways regulating BC dissemination. Here, we review the latest literature describing the structure of the mammary gland and the BCM and summarize the influence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EpMT) and autophagy in BC dissemination. Finally, we discuss the roles of fibroblasts and BCAFs in mammary gland development and BCM remodeling, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:52:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5f33c28887814b698b25ecde1cf2dedb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:52:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-5f33c28887814b698b25ecde1cf2dedb2023-11-20T05:00:32ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942020-06-01126169710.3390/cancers12061697Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell DisseminationAngelica Avagliano0Giuseppe Fiume1Maria Rosaria Ruocco2Nunzia Martucci3Eleonora Vecchio4Luigi Insabato5Daniela Russo6Antonello Accurso7Stefania Masone8Stefania Montagnani9Alessandro Arcucci10Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyAnatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyAnatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of General, Oncological, Bariatric and Endocrine-Metabolic Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, ItalyThe stromal microenvironment regulates mammary gland development and tumorigenesis. In normal mammary glands, the stromal microenvironment encompasses the ducts and contains fibroblasts, the main regulators of branching morphogenesis. Understanding the way fibroblast signaling pathways regulate mammary gland development may offer insights into the mechanisms of breast cancer (BC) biology. In fact, the unregulated mammary fibroblast signaling pathways, associated with alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and branching morphogenesis, drive breast cancer microenvironment (BCM) remodeling and cancer growth. The BCM comprises a very heterogeneous tissue containing non-cancer stromal cells, namely, breast cancer-associated fibroblasts (BCAFs), which represent most of the tumor mass. Moreover, the different components of the BCM highly interact with cancer cells, thereby generating a tightly intertwined network. In particular, BC cells activate recruited normal fibroblasts in BCAFs, which, in turn, promote BCM remodeling and metastasis. Thus, comparing the roles of normal fibroblasts and BCAFs in the physiological and metastatic processes, could provide a deeper understanding of the signaling pathways regulating BC dissemination. Here, we review the latest literature describing the structure of the mammary gland and the BCM and summarize the influence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EpMT) and autophagy in BC dissemination. Finally, we discuss the roles of fibroblasts and BCAFs in mammary gland development and BCM remodeling, respectively.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/6/1697fibroblastsbreast cancer associated fibroblasts (BCAFs)mammary glandbreast cancer microenvironmentECM remodelingmetastasis |
| spellingShingle | Angelica Avagliano Giuseppe Fiume Maria Rosaria Ruocco Nunzia Martucci Eleonora Vecchio Luigi Insabato Daniela Russo Antonello Accurso Stefania Masone Stefania Montagnani Alessandro Arcucci Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination Cancers fibroblasts breast cancer associated fibroblasts (BCAFs) mammary gland breast cancer microenvironment ECM remodeling metastasis |
| title | Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination |
| title_full | Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination |
| title_fullStr | Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination |
| title_short | Influence of Fibroblasts on Mammary Gland Development, Breast Cancer Microenvironment Remodeling, and Cancer Cell Dissemination |
| title_sort | influence of fibroblasts on mammary gland development breast cancer microenvironment remodeling and cancer cell dissemination |
| topic | fibroblasts breast cancer associated fibroblasts (BCAFs) mammary gland breast cancer microenvironment ECM remodeling metastasis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/6/1697 |
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