Abstract
At puberty, the female mammary gland is transformed from a simple epithelial tubule into an elaborate ductal tree. Underlying this global change in tissue architecture are changes in the behavior of individual cells. Certain cells within the tubules are instructed to branch, whereas their neighbors, only a few cell diameters away, are not. Using a micropatterning approach to engineer mouse mammary epithelial tubules in culture, Nelson et al . show that the position of branching depends on the initial tubule geometry and is determined by a local minimum in the concentration gradient of autocrine inhibitory morphogens, including transforming growth factor-β. C. M. Nelson, M. M. VanDuijn, J. L. Inman, D. A. Fletcher, M. J. Bissell, Tissue geometry determines sites of mammary branching morphogenesis in organotypic cultures. Science 314 , 298-300 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
