Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in mouse mammary tumorigenesis

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition tumorigenesis in the mouse has been described for over 100 years using various terms and with little comprehension of the underlying mechanisms. Recently, epithelial-mesenchymal transition tumors have been recognized in mammary glands of genetically engineered mice. This review provides a historical perspective and the current observations in the context of some of the key molecular biology. The biology of mouse mammary epithelial-mesenchymal transition tumorigenesis is discussed with comparisons to human breast cancer.