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Molecular and Cellular Biology, December 1999, p. 8169-8179, Vol. 19, No. 12
Institute for Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology,1 Medical Sciences
Program,2 and Departments of
Biology,3
Biochemistry,7 and Pathology
and Molecular Medicine,8 McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1; Cancer Research Program,
Garvan Institute, St. Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New
South Wales 2010, Australia4; Samuel
Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada M5G 1X55; and School of
Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, California
956166
Received 23 July 1999/Returned for modification 9 September
1999/Accepted 16 September 1999
The Grb2 and Shc adapter proteins play critical roles in coupling
activated growth factor receptors to several cellular signaling pathways. To assess the role of these molecules in mammary epithelial development and tumorigenesis, we have generated transgenic mice which
individually express the Grb2 and Shc proteins in the mammary epithelium. Although mammary epithelial cell-specific expression of
Grb2 or Shc accelerated ductal morphogenesis, mammary tumors were
rarely observed in these strains. To explore the potential role of
these adapter proteins in mammary tumorigenesis, mice coexpressing
either Shc or Grb2 and a mutant form of polyomavirus middle T (PyV mT) antigen in the mammary epithelium were generated. Coexpression of either Shc or Grb2 with the mutant PyV mT antigen resulted in a dramatic acceleration of mammary tumorigenesis compared to parental mutant PyV mT strain. The increased rate of tumor formation
observed in these mice was correlated with activation of the epidermal
growth factor receptor family and mitogen-activated protein kinase
pathway. These observations suggest that elevated levels of the Grb2 or
Shc adapter protein can accelerate mammary tumor progression by
sensitizing the mammary epithelial cell to growth factor receptor signaling.
0270-7306/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Accelerated Mammary Tumor Development in Mutant Polyomavirus
Middle T Transgenic Mice Expressing Elevated Levels of Either the
Shc or Grb2 Adapter Protein
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Cancer Research
Group, Departments of Biology, Biochemistry, and Pathology and
Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1. Phone: (905) 525-9140, ext. 27306. Fax: (905) 521-2955. E-mail: mullerw{at}mcmail.mcmaster.ca.
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