We determined that carcinomas with high pY-STAT5a were more proliferative (MIB5 immunostaining) and had a higher expression of cyclin D1 and estrogen receptor alpha.
The elevated expression of the prolactin receptor in carcinomas concomitant with several components of the mitogenic prolactin signaling pathway implicated prolactin/prolactin receptor/Stat5a/cyclin D1 in rat mammary gland malignancy.
By immunohistochemical analysis, cyclin D1, Cdk4, and phospho-Rb nuclear protein expression was 5.7-, 3.9-, and 2.3-fold higher, respectively, in carcinomas than in normal mammary gland, whereas the expression of cyclin D2, cyclin D3, and Cdk6 was similar.
Genes showing increased expression in carcinomas by cDNA microarray analysis (and further validated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis) include cyclin D1, PDGF-A chain, retinol binding protein 1, prohibitin and the transcription factor STAT5A.