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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Protocols for Vaginal Inoculation and Sample Collection in the Experimental Mouse Model of Candida vaginitis
Published on: December 8, 2011
Stratification of mouse vaginal epithelium. 1. Development of three-dimensional models in vitro with clonal cell
Minako Ogawa-Tominaga1,2, Tomohiro Umezu1,3, Tadaaki Nakajima1
1Department of Biological Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1, Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585, Japan.
Abstract:
The mouse vagina consists of stratified squamous epithelium and stroma and is regulated by ovarian hormones. Vaginal epithelial cells do not stratify, but rather form a monolayer and show an inconsistent responsiveness to ovarian hormones when cultured on plastic dish or matrix. To address the discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro observations, three-dimensional (3D) co-culture models are developed with clonal vaginal epithelial and stromal cell lines; stromal cells are embedded in collagen gel and epithelial cells are seeded on the gel. In the 3D models, epithelial cells express Transformation related protein 63 (Trp63) and begin to stratify when they are co-cultured with two out of three stromal cell lines, but not with the other stromal cell line. Stroma may consist of various types of cells with distinct functions.
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