RESUMEN
When treated with 17ß-estradiol, female ACI rats (Rattus norvegicus) rapidly develop mammary cancers that share multiple phenotypes with luminal breast cancers. Seven distinct quantitative trait loci that harbor genetic determinants of susceptibility to 17ß-estradiol-induced mammary cancer have been mapped in reciprocal intercrosses between susceptible ACI rats and resistant Brown Norway (BN) rats. A panel of unique congenic rat strains has now been generated and characterized to confirm the existence of these quantitative trait loci, designated Emca3 through Emca9, and to quantify their individual effects on susceptibility to 17ß-estradiol-induced mammary cancer. Each congenic strain carries BN alleles spanning an individual Emca locus, introgressed onto the ACI genetic background. Data presented herein indicate that BN alleles at Emca3, Emca4, Emca5, Emca6, and Emca9 reduce susceptibility to 17ß-estradiol-induced mammary cancer, whereas BN alleles at Emca7 increase susceptibility, thereby confirming the previous interval mapping data. All of these Emca loci are orthologous to regions of the human genome that have been demonstrated in genome-wide association studies to harbor genetic variants that influence breast cancer risk. Moreover, four of the Emca loci are orthologous to loci in humans that have been associated with mammographic breast density, a biomarker of breast cancer risk. This study further establishes the relevance of the ACI and derived congenic rat models of 17ß-estradiol-induced mammary cancer for defining the genetic bases of breast cancer susceptibility and elucidating the mechanisms through which 17ß-estradiol contributes to breast cancer development.
Asunto(s)
Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Neoplasias Mamarias Animales/genética , Sitios de Carácter Cuantitativo , Animales , Animales Congénicos , Estradiol , Estrógenos , Femenino , Humanos , Neoplasias Mamarias Animales/inducido químicamente , Fenotipo , Ratas Endogámicas BN , RiesgoRESUMEN
Estrogens control many aspects of pituitary gland biology, including regulation of lactotroph homeostasis and synthesis and secretion of prolactin. In rat models, these actions are strain specific and heritable, and multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been mapped that impact the responsiveness of the lactotroph to estrogens. One such QTL, Ept7, was mapped to RNO7 in female progeny generated in an intercross between BN rats, in which the lactotroph population is insensitive to estrogens, and ACI rats, which develop lactotroph hyperplasia/adenoma and associated hyperprolactinemia in response to estrogen treatment. The primary objective of this study was to confirm the existence of Ept7 and to quantify the impact of this QTL on responsiveness of the pituitary gland of female and male rats to 17ß-estradiol (E2) and diethylstilbestrol (DES), respectively. Secondary objectives were to determine if Ept7 influences the responsiveness of the male reproductive tract to DES and to identify other discernible phenotypes influenced by Ept7. To achieve these objectives, a congenic rat strain that harbors BN alleles across the Ept7 interval on the genetic background of the ACI strain was generated and characterized to define the effect of administered estrogens on the anterior pituitary gland and male reproductive tissues. Data presented herein indicate Ept7 exerts a marked effect on development of lactotroph hyperplasia in response to estrogen treatment, but does not affect atrophy of the male reproductive tissues in response to hormone treatment. Ept7 was also observed to exert gender specific effects on body weight in young adult rats.