The Wagner Laboratory

Generation of the first genetically engineered mice that allow somatic gene deletions in the mammary gland [Abstract]

Generation of the first mouse model for a hereditary form of human breast cancer through mammary-specific deletion of the Brca1 gene (a collaboration with researchers at the NIDDK) [Abstract]

Defining the role of the Bcl-x gene in erythropoiesis (Bcl-x conditional knockout) [Abstract]

Discovery of a new mammary epithelial population in parous animals (PI-MECs), which when transplanted has certain features of multipotent mammary gland progenitors [Abstract]

Defining the biological role of Tsg101 in vivo (conventional and mammary-specific knockout); Tsg101 is essential for cell proliferation and cell survival; however, in contrast to previous reports Tsg101 is not a tumor suppressor gene for sporadic forms of breast cancer [Abstract]

Defining the role of Jak2 during mammary development (Jak2 conditional knockout) [Abstract]

Parity-induced mammary epithelial cells (PI-MECs) facilitate tumorigenesis in selected transgenic mouse models. [Abstract]

Expression of the Whey Acidic Protein (Wap) is necessary for adequate nourishment of the offspring but not functional differentiation of mammary epithelial cells [Abstract]

Parity-induced mammary epithelial cells (PI-MECs) are multipotent and express cell surface markers associated with stem cells [Abstract]

The Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) is required for expression and nuclear accumulation of Cyclin D1 in proliferating mammary epithelial cells [Abstract]

Generation of Wap-rtTA knockin mice that allow a ligand-inducible expression of transgenes in the mammary gland [Abstract]

Jak2 is required for the initiation but not maintenance of ErbB2 (Her2/neu) and prolactin-induced mammary cancer 

Generation of a novel mouse strain that permits a temporally and spatially controlled expression of responder genes in embryonic and multiple adult tissues [Abstract]

Broad targeting of cyclin D functions may be essential for the effective treatment of ErbB2-induced breast cancers due to functional cross-compensation between cyclin D isoforms. [Abstract]

Generation of a novel transgenic mouse strain (MMTV-tTA) for the targeted expression of genes in the embryonic and postnatal mammary gland [Abstract].

A novel mouse model reveals essential roles for deregulated c-Myc in the initiation, progression, maintenance, and recurrence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [Abstract]. See also related article from 2014 on cancer cell dormancy in novel mouse models for reversible pancreatic cancer: a lingering challenge in the development of targeted therapies [Abstract].

The transcription factor Stat5 regulates the PI3-kinase/Akt1 pathway during mammary gland development and tumorigenesis [Abstract]. See also related article on novel transcripts from a distinct promoter that encodes the full-length AKT1 in human breast cancer cells [Abstract].

JAK1 conditional knockout, this member of the Janus kinase family seems to control the majority of STAT proteins that are active in the mammary gland, in particular STAT3, which is required for normal mammary gland remodeling [Abstract]

Pancreatic cancer cell dormancy; IGF1 signaling mediates residual disease in the absence of mutant KRAS or c-MYC as oncogenic drivers [Abstract ]

The Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) is an essential signaling node for inflammatory cytokine signals that mediate mammary cancer metastasis. 

Highly metastatic claudin-low mammary cancers can originate from luminal epithelial cells, and our team participated in the development of the NSG-Pro mouse model that greatly improves the generation of patient-derived xenograft of human luminal breast cancers.