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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland

Published on: December 1, 2015

Stem cells and the developing mammary gland.

Maisam Makarem¹, Benjamin T Spike, Christopher Dravis

¹Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Agency, 675 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada.

Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia

|April 30, 2013

Summary

Researchers identified the first transplantable mammary stem cells in fetal mice just before birth. These fetal stem cells have distinct growth and gene expression patterns compared to adult stem cells, sharing similarities with breast cancer signatures.

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Area of Science:

Developmental biology
Stem cell biology
Cancer biology

Background:

The mammary gland undergoes significant developmental and hormonal changes from embryonic stages through adulthood.
Adult mammary glands contain a hierarchy of stem and progenitor cells with varying regenerative potentials.
Understanding mammary stem cell origins and properties is crucial for developmental and cancer research.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and characterize mammary stem cells in fetal mice.
To compare the properties of fetal mammary stem cells with their adult counterparts.
To explore the relationship between fetal mammary stem cell characteristics and breast cancer signatures.

Main Methods:

Application of in vitro and in vivo cell quantification methods originally developed for adult mammary tissue to fetal mammary cells.
Transplantation assays to assess the regenerative potential of identified fetal cells.
Gene expression profiling to compare fetal and adult mammary stem cell populations.

Main Results:

The first transplantable mammary stem cells were identified in fetal mice a few days before birth.
Fetal mammary stem cell populations exhibit distinct growth and gene expression programs compared to adult mammary stem cells.
These fetal stem cell populations share gene expression signatures with certain types of breast cancer.

Conclusions:

Mammary stem cells can be identified in late-term fetal development.
Fetal and adult mammary stem cells possess fundamentally different molecular and functional properties.
The molecular basis of these differences may provide insights into breast cancer development and prevention.