Mammary crest

The mammary crest is a primordium^[1] specific for the mammary gland on the breast and is often associated with mammary gland development and breast development.

Development

The mammary crest usually appears as a narrow, microscopic ectodermal thickening during the first 7 weeks of pregnancy and grows caudally as a narrow, linear crest.^[1] Mammary lines begin to shorten and ectodermal cells begin to divide and grow into the mesenchymal cell layer.^[2] A basement membrane separating the expanding ectodermal crest structure and the underlying mesoderm usually remains. The mammary crest then becomes recognizable in the thoracic region in the human embryo.

A mammary crest usually stops growing at 8 weeks and its length is regressed starting at the caudal end and extending cranially,^[1] so that what remains is a round, ectodermic placode where the axilla develops. When shortening of the mammary crest is complete, the structure remains prominent in the areas where the mammary glands eventually form.

References

See also

• Breast
• Mammary gland

External links

• Comparative Mammary Gland Anatomy by W. L. Hurley
• On the anatomy of the breast by Sir Astley Paston Cooper (1840). Numerous drawings, in the public domain.
• Breast Anatomy
• Development of the Mammary Gland (Mammogenesis) by McGill University (PDF)
• Human Breast Development by the Université de Sherbrooke (PDF)