Objective
The epithelial compartments of the mammary gland are thought to be derived from a tissue stem cell capable of self-renewal and differentiating into all cellular lineages of the mammary gland. Detailed studies of normal and tumorigenic breast stem cells have proven rather cumbersome since these cells are rare and a high degree of purification is needed. Several approaches to isolate mammary stem cells are based on the use of relatively unspecific surface markers, which are also expressed on differentiated cells.
Lgr5 is a marker of stem cells in several different organs, such as the intestine, the stomach and the skin. Recently, another Lgr family member, Lgr6, could be identified as a marker of a second epidermal stem cell population in the skin than can regenerate all cellular lineages of the skin.
The high homology between Lgr5 and Lgr6 and the fact that both receptors represent stem cell markers in the skin, suggest that Lgr6 could also specifically mark certain stem cell populations in other tissues. Indeed, the host laboratory has found prominent expression of Lgr6 cells in brain, mammary gland and lung. Noteworthy, the hair follicle and the mammary gland are both ectodermal-derived appendages that show strong similarities as regards the molecular mechanisms controlling their formation, maintenance and cellular turn-over.
Lgr6 shows a conserved upregulation between human and mouse mammary stem cell fractions. In line with the notion that normal stem cells can be a source of cancer stem cells, breast cancer tissues shows an overexpression of Lgr6, similar to skin cancer cells.
The first aim of the proposed project is to clarify the nature and identity of mammary gland cells that express the putative stem cell marker Lgr6.
Secondly, this project will determine the functional role of Lgr6 in regard to breast stem cell maintenance, progenitor cell commitment and cancer development.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology skin cancer
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology breast cancer
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.