Mast Cells Are Not Essential for Pubertal Mammary Gland Branching.

ABSTRACT: Mast cells are long-lived, tissue-resident immune cells of the myeloid lineage with cardinal functions in allergy and atopic disease. They are now increasingly recognized also for protective roles, for example against infections and venoms. Other functions originally assigned to mast cells in development and physiology, however, have been refuted, and for yet others, the true contribution of mast cells remains uncertain. Mast cells have been implicated in promoting ductal branching in the pubertal mammary gland, the organ that produces and secretes milk in mammals, but these findings are based on mouse models that are not mast cell-specific. In this study, we therefore re-addressed the impact of mast cells on mammary gland branching using several complementary genetic models, including a n

SUBMITTER: Kapoor S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12358710 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature