Cellular Interactions in Mammary Gland Development

乳腺的发育是一个多阶段的过程，主要发生在青春期、妊娠期和哺乳期。它还需要形成腺体的细胞之间恒定且受控的双向串扰。我们已经表明，在这些相互作用中所涉及的交界处的连接的组合物以阶段依赖的方式变化，从而表明阶段依赖的作用和调节的路口的组件。然而，虽然其中许多成分已经确定，但仍有许多其他成分有待发现。更重要的是，在整个乳腺发育过程中控制连接神经的排列和功能的机制还知之甚少。因此，这项研究计划的主要目标是确定这些机制，重点是激素和相互作用的蛋白质。此外，一些环境污染物与激素类似，可以模仿它们的作用。这些污染物被称为内分泌干扰物。了解暴露于内分泌干扰物可以调节细胞相互作用的建立和功能的机制将使我们能够确定这些机制对乳腺的正常发育和功能有多重要。为了实现我们的研究目标，我们将使用创新的模型来模拟我们实验室结合动物模型开发的乳腺结构。总之，这项研究计划的结果将有助于更好地了解乳腺生理学，功能和器官发生，特别是激素和细胞连接如何控制乳腺的发育。我们还将提高与细胞相互作用和串扰相关的科学知识。

The development of the mammary gland is a multistage process tightly orchestrated by hormones, and mainly occurring during puberty, pregnancy and lactation. It also requires a constant and controlled bidirectional crosstalk between the cells that form the gland. We have shown that the composition of the junctional nexus involved in these interactions varies in a stage-dependent manner, thus suggesting stage-dependent role and regulation of the junctions' components. However, while many of those components have been identified, many others remain to be discovered. More importantly, the mechanisms controlling the arrangement and function of the junctional nexus throughout mammary gland development are poorly understood. The main objective of this research program is thus to identify those mechanisms, focusing on hormones and interacting proteins. In addition, some environmental pollutants are similar to hormones and can mimic their actions. These pollutants are called endocrine disruptors. Understanding the mechanisms by which an exposure to endocrine disruptors can modulate the establishment and function of cellular interactions will allow us to determine how critical those mechanisms are for the normal development and function of the mammary gland. To achieve our research objectives, we will use innovative models to mimic the mammary gland structure developed by our lab combined with animal models. Together, results from this research program will lead to a better understanding of mammary gland physiology, function and organogenesis, particularly of how hormones and cellular junctions are governing the development of the mammary gland. We will also improve the scientific knowledge related to cellular interactions and crosstalk.