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.