ENU Mutagenesis of Rat Mammary Epithelial Cells

Studies of the rat mammary carcinogenesis model have provided useful information on the mechanisms of human breast cancer. The rat model demonstrated that chemical carcinogens are causative agents of mammary cancer and that initiation of cancer requires the interaction of the carcinogen with an undifferentiated and proliferating mammary gland. Comparative studies between humans and rodents have allowed us to determine that mammary cancer originates in undifferentiated terminal structures of the mammary gland. The terminal ducts of the Lob 1 of the human female breast have many points in common with the terminal end buds (TEB) of the rat mammary gland. Both the TEB in the rat and the Lob 1 in women are the site of origin of ductal carcinoma (1 ). Consequently, investigating the mechanisms involved in human breast cancer in an established rat animal model is a necessity. Various in vitro assays have been designed to understand the mechanisms of chemically induced neoplastic transformation of mammary gland epithelial cells.