Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Mammary Glands01:12

The Mammary Glands

3.2K
The female breast is a hemispheric projection of variable size positioned anterior to the pectoralis major and serratus anterior muscles. A fascia layer composed of dense, irregular connective tissue connects it to these muscles.
Each breast features a pigmented projection known as the nipple, through which milk emerges via closely spaced openings of ducts, referred to as lactiferous ducts. Surrounding the nipple is a circular pigmented area of skin named the areola, which appears rough due to...
3.2K
Multipotency and Niche of Bulge Stem Cell01:06

Multipotency and Niche of Bulge Stem Cell

2.9K
A hair follicle or HF is a small part of the skin that produces the hair shaft. Paul Gerson Unna was the first to observe a bulge in the human hair follicle's outer root sheath (ORS). The bulge is present between the sebaceous gland and the arrector pili muscle and is the niche for hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). The bulge is also a niche for melanocyte stem cells, and their loss results in graying of hair. The HFSCs express Sox9 and Lhx2, which help them maintain stemness and prevent...
2.9K
Stem Cell Niche01:26

Stem Cell Niche

5.0K
The stem cell niche is the dynamic microenvironment where stem cells reside. Inside these niches, the cells may remain undifferentiated, undergo high self-renewal, or become lineage-specific progenitors. Stem cells coexist with other niche cells, such as stromal cells. They also interact closely with the ECM. Cell-cell and cell-matrix communication occur via adhesion molecules or soluble factors that signal the stem cells and determine their fate. Stromal cells also provide survival signals to...
5.0K
Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation01:10

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

6.4K
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
6.4K
Lineage Commitment01:21

Lineage Commitment

3.4K
Commitment is the  process whereby stem cells:
3.4K
Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells01:19

Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

3.1K
The hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs are multipotent, meaning they can differentiate and give rise to all blood and immune cells. HSCs are maintained in the quiescent stage until an external stimulus initiates their differentiation. The multipotent HSCs exist as two heterogeneous populations, long-term repopulating cells (LTRC) and short-term repopulating cells (STRC). The two HSC populations have different surface markers or receptors and are classified based on quiescence and long-term...
3.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Breast cancer specialists' experiences and attitudes towards mainstream genetic testing for patients with breast cancer.

Hereditary cancer in clinical practice·2026
Same author

IAP-based biodegraders can convert necroptosis to apoptosis and eliminate cancer driving protein complexes.

Cell chemical biology·2026
Same author

Integrating breast tumour homologous recombination deficiency status to aid germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant classification.

EBioMedicine·2026
Same author

Targeted Prostate Cancer Screening in Carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 Pathogenic Germline Variants Detects Clinically Relevant Disease: 5-year Results from the IMPACT Study.

European urology·2026
Same author

Genome-wide in vivo CRISPR screens identify GATOR1 complex as a tumor suppressor in Myc-driven lymphoma.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Incorporating exon-exon junction reads enhances differential splicing detection.

BMC bioinformatics·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Mammosphere Formation Assay from Human Breast Cancer Tissues and Cell Lines
10:51

Mammosphere Formation Assay from Human Breast Cancer Tissues and Cell Lines

Published on: March 22, 2015

33.0K

The mammary stem cell hierarchy.

Naiyang Fu1, Geoffrey J Lindeman2, Jane E Visvader1

  • 1Stem Cells and Cancer Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Current Topics in Developmental Biology
|January 21, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and progenitor cells form a differentiation hierarchy in mouse and human breast tissue. This hierarchy helps understand mammary gland development and breast cancer origins.

Keywords:
BreastDevelopmentMammary stem cellProgenitorRepopulationSteroid hormoneTransplantation

More Related Videos

Quantification of Self-renewal in Murine Mammosphere Cultures
07:40

Quantification of Self-renewal in Murine Mammosphere Cultures

Published on: November 26, 2019

8.3K
Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland
11:13

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland

Published on: December 1, 2015

37.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Mammosphere Formation Assay from Human Breast Cancer Tissues and Cell Lines
10:51

Mammosphere Formation Assay from Human Breast Cancer Tissues and Cell Lines

Published on: March 22, 2015

33.0K
Quantification of Self-renewal in Murine Mammosphere Cultures
07:40

Quantification of Self-renewal in Murine Mammosphere Cultures

Published on: November 26, 2019

8.3K
Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland
11:13

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland

Published on: December 1, 2015

37.9K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Stem cell biology
  • Cancer biology

Background:

  • The mammary epithelium undergoes significant changes throughout a mammal's life.
  • Recent studies reveal an epithelial differentiation hierarchy in mouse mammary glands, identifying mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and luminal progenitor types.
  • A similar hierarchy exists in human breast tissue.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline the established epithelial differentiation hierarchy in the mammary gland.
  • To discuss the complexity of the mammary stem cell compartment.
  • To highlight the framework provided by the hierarchy for understanding mammary gland development and breast cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Classical transplantation assays
  • Clonogenic assays
  • Lineage tracing studies

Main Results:

  • Identification of multipotent mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and distinct luminal progenitor types in mice.
  • Confirmation of an analogous functional hierarchy in human breast tissue.
  • Discovery of slow-cycling stem cells, long- and short-term repopulating cells, a fetal MaSC population, and unipotent stem-like cells, indicating a complex stem cell compartment.

Conclusions:

  • The mammary epithelial hierarchy provides a crucial framework for studying mammary gland development.
  • Understanding this hierarchy is essential for investigating the molecular regulators of mammary gland ontogeny.
  • The hierarchy offers insights into the potential cells of origin for breast cancer.