There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
The stromal microenvironment regulates mammary gland branching morphogenesis. We have
observed that mast cells are present in the mammary gland throughout its postnatal
development and, in particular, are found around the terminal end buds and ductal
epithelium of the pubertal gland. Mast cells contribute to allergy, inflammatory diseases,
and cancer development but have not been implicated in normal development. Genetic
and pharmacological disruption of mast cell function in the mammary gland revealed
that mast cells are involved in rapid proliferation and normal duct branching during
puberty, and this effect is independent of macrophage recruitment, which also regulates
mammary gland development. For mast cells to exert their effects on normal morphogenesis
required activation of their serine proteases and degranulation. Our observations
reveal a novel role for mast cells during normal pubertal development in the mammary
gland.