The early expression of the transcriptional activators and repressors (i.e., STAT5a, GATA3, RUNX1 and MSX2) may be the reason for the inappropriate expression of the “pubertal-like” mammary development genes in BALB/c mice, which in their TGFβ-modified microenvironment may be associated with the increased cancer risk observed in that strain. The gene discussed is MSX2; the disease is cancer.