@article{3152065,
    title = "Novel measurements of mammary stem cells in human umbilical cord blood
as prospective predictors of breast cancer susceptibility in later life",
    author = "Qiu, L. and Low, H. P. and Chang, C. -I. and Strohsnitter, W. C. and and Anderson, M. and Edmiston, K. and Adami, H. -O. and Ekbom, A. and Hall, and P. and Lagiou, P. and Trichopoulos, D. and Hsieh, C. -C.",
    journal = "Annals of Oncology",
    year = "2012",
    volume = "23",
    number = "1",
    pages = "245-250",
    publisher = "Oxford University Press",
    issn = "0923-7534, 1569-8041",
    doi = "10.1093/annonc/mdr153",
    keywords = "epithelial cell adhesion molecule; flow cytometry; hematopoietic stem
cell; integrins; in utero environment; prenatal origin",
    abstract = "Background: The size of the breast stem-cell pool could underlie the
intrauterine roots of breast cancer. We studied whether breast stem
cells exist in umbilical cord blood and if they correlate with
hematopoietic stem-cell measurements that have been positively
associated with perinatal risk factors for breast cancer.
Subjects and methods: We isolated mononuclear cells from umbilical cord
blood of 170 singleton full-term pregnancies and determined, by reverse
transcription polymerase chain reaction, the presence of genes of
putative breast epithelial stem-cell/progenitor markers [including
epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), CD49f (alpha 6-integrin),
CD117 (c-kit receptor), CD24, and CD29 (beta 1-integrin)]. By
immunocytochemistry, we colocalized protein expressions of
EpCAM(+)CD49f(+), CD49f(+)CD24(+), and CD24(+)CD29(+). We correlated
concentrations of putative breast stem-cell/progenitor subpopulations,
quantified by flow cytometry, with concentrations of hematopoietic stem
cells.
Results: Mammary stem-cell phenotypes were identified in umbilical cord
blood. The measured EpCAM(+) subpopulation was positively correlated
with concentrations of CD34(+) and CD34(+) CD38(-) hematopoietic stem
cells (both P = 0.006). Additionally, EpCAM(+)CD49f(+) and
CD49f(+)CD24(+) subpopulations were positively correlated to the CD34(+)
cells (P = 0.03 and 0.008, respectively).
Conclusion: The positive association between measurable breast and
hematopoietic stem cells in human umbilical cord blood suggests
plausible mechanisms for a prenatal influence on breast cancer risk."
}