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Studies on the Inherited Susceptibility and Inherited Hormonal Influence in the Genesis of Mammary Cancer in Mice^*

( Division of Cancer Biology, Department of Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis 14, Minn.)

Further observations are presented on the action of another inherited factor, an inherited hormonal influence, which, along with the inherited susceptibility and the mammary tumor agent, has been found to be a primary cause of mammary cancer in virgin mice.

In several stocks there is an association between the presence of the inherited hormonal influence and the development of adrenal cortical hyperplasia in gonadectomized mice.

The inherited hormonal influence may be transmitted by mice of strains which are either susceptible or relatively nonsusceptible to the development of spontaneous mammary cancer.

The inherited susceptibility and the inherited hormonal influence, when transmitted by mice of the same stock, may be due to the action of different genes, although genes common to both factors may exist.

The inherited hormonal influence, when possessed by mice of different stocks, may not involve the same genic make-up in the two stocks.

The determination of the exact number of genes to produce either the inherited hormonal influence or the inherited susceptibility is difficult to ascertain because of the influence of other factors, intrinsic and/or extrinsic, and the source of the mammary tumor agent, in the development of mammary tumors. It seems probable that multiple genes are needed.

Possible physiological effects of the hormonal mechanism are discussed.

^* Assisted by grants from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service; the American Cancer Society upon recommendation of the Committee on Growth of the National Research Council; and the Graduate School Cancer Research Fund of the University of Minnesota.

Received 5/ 5/52.