Roles of estrogen and progesterone in normal mammary gland development insights from progesterone receptor null mutant mice and in situ localization of receptor.

In contrast to most other organs, the development of normal mammary glands occurs mostly in the postnatal state and in a discontinuous fashion. In all species, the glands are composed of various cell types, and it is the epithelium, embedded in the fatty stroma (commonly known as the "fat pad"), that is targeted for proliferation and differentiation. Hormones, in particular the female sex steroids estrogen and progesterone, are absolutely essential for the proliferation of mammary epithelial cell. However, despite intensive efforts by many laboratories spanning nearly 4 decades, at present, the precise role of these steroids and their relative importance in mammary development remains unclear. This article reviews the general features and the effects of estrogen and progesterone on normal mammary gland development, followed by a discussion of our recent studies, which emphasize the primary importance of progesterone and progesterone receptor for the normal mammary epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. (c) 1997, Elsevier Science Inc. (Trends Endocrinol Metab 1997;8:34-39).