Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Inst of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes -Bridge Funding

The hormone prolactin (PRL) has multiple biological functions. The most characterized is its role in the growth and development of the mammary gland. Recent evidence including results obtained in our lab indicates that PRL may suppress breast cancer cells aggressive phenotype. Unraveling the role of prolactin (PRL) hormone and its signaling mechanisms in the normal development of the mammary gland and breast cancer is the focus of our research activities. We have previously shown that the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 plays an important role in PRL signaling leading to activation of the Jak2/Stat5a pathway, a critical pathway implicated in mammary epithelial cell differentiation and mammary alveolar development. The objective of this proposal is to characterize further the role of SHP-2 in mediating PRL functions in the mammary gland and also define its role in breast cancer. Together the studies proposed in this application will provide us with powerful insights for new therapeutical approaches to breast cancer in which PRL involvement has clearly been established.