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Proceedings of the European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST 825) Symposium on Mammary Gland Biology, held September 16-18, 1999, in Tours, France. It is difficult to overstate the evolutionary and functional significance of mammary tissue in biology. Substantial progress has been made by researchers in various disciplines, particularly over the last fifteen years, towards realizing the potential of this tissue to yield powerful experimental models for morphogenesis and tissue development; for cellular differentiation; for the biosynthesis and secretion of proteins, lipids, small molecules and inorganic salts; and for the coordination and regulation of these processes. More recently, the possibility of exploiting the secretory epithelial cells of mammary tissue as `cell factories' has become a reality and the recombinant production by lactating animals of an increasing number of proteins, valuable both in the pharmaceutical and `nutraceutical' fields, is in progress or under development. Also in this sphere of agricultural production, genetic as well as nutritional technologies are under investigation and exploitation to optimize milk composition for various end-uses - for instance in food process and manufacture. The possibilities of deriving health benefit from the bioactive properties of some of the minor constituents of milk are emerging to counter the highly-publicized negative health impact of excessive consumption of saturated animal fats. In human nutrition and medicine, the mammary gland is both a source of nutrition to the neonate and a potential health threat to the adult female - breast cancer remains the major single cause of female mortality in most developed countries. This volume provides a unique glimpse into our understanding, at the cutting edge of a variety of disciplines, of this versatile and extraordinary tissue, at the birth of the twenty-first century.
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BIOLOGY OF THE MAMMARY GLAND
ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY Editorial Board:
NATHAN BACK, State University of New York at Buffalo IRUN R. COHEN, The Weizmann Institute of Science DAVID KRITCHEVSKY, Wistar Institute ABEL LAJTHA, N. S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research RODOLFO PAOLETTI, University of Milan
Recent Volumes in this Series Volume 474 HYPOXIA: Into the Next Millennium Edited by Robert C. Roach, Peter D. Wagner, and Peter H. Hackett Volume 475 OXYGEN SENSING: Molecule to Man Edited by Sukhamay Lahiri, Nanduri R. Prabhakar, and Robert E. Forster, II Volume 476 ANGIOGENESIS: From the Molecular to Integrative Pharmacology Edited by Michael E. Maragoudakis Volume 477 CELLULAR PEPTIDASES IN IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND DISEASES 2 Edited by Jürgen Langner and Siegfried Ansorge Volume 478 SHORT AND LONG TERM EFFECTS OF BREAST FEEDING ON CHILD HEALTH Edited by Berthold Koletzko, Olle Hernell, and Kim Fleischer Michaelsen Volume 479 THE BIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF INNATE IMMUNITY MECHANISMS Edited by Yona Keisari and Itzhak Ofek Volume 480 BIOLOGY OF THE MAMMARY GLAND Edited by Jan A. Mol and Roger A. Clegg Volume 481 ELASTIC FILAMENTS OF THE CELL Edited by Henk L. Granzier and Gerald H. Pollack Volume 482 CHROMOGRANINS: Functional and Clinical Aspects Edited by Karen B. Helle and Dominique Aunis Volume 483 TAURINE 4: Taurine and Excitable Tissues Edited by Laura Della Corte, Ryan H. Huxtable, Giampetro Sgaragli, and Keith F. Tipton Volume 484 PHYLOGENETIC PERSPECTIVES ON THE VERTEBRATE IMMUNE SYSTEM Edited by Gregory Beck, Manickam Sugumaran, and Edwin L. Cooper
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BIOLOGY OF THE MAMMARY GLAND