Abstract
Whole Mammary Gland Transplantation involves transplanting an excised mammary gland into another, more suitable host. This method can be used to extend the life of a mammary gland past the mouse’s life span by transplanting the mammary gland of an older mouse into a young healthy mouse. As you can see in the video below (Video 1), by attaching it to the abdomen of the mouse, the gland will receive a steady blood supply and both epithelial and stromal cells will remain viable for up to one year. Although this method is not used often, it has been part of several experiments including determining whether the stroma or epithelium is the primary target in chemically induced mouse mammary tumorigenesis (Medina and Kittrell, 2005). To monitor transplants, palpate every week for tumor formation. The transplanted mammary gland may also be passaged serially every 8-10 weeks. Keep transplanted gland in the same mouse for no longer than one year.
Keywords: Mammary gland, Transplant, Viable epithelial cells, Mammary tumorigenesis
Materials and Reagents
Equipment
Procedure
Notes
Recipients were 8- to 12-week-old virgin female NSG, which were purchased from Jackson Laboratories. Animal experiments were conducted following protocols approved by the University of Kansas School of Medicine Animal Care and Use and Human Subjects Committee. All researchers must have this protocol approved by their own institution before performing the procedure.
Acknowledgments
This protocol was developed in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical School. The work was supported by NCI (1K99/R00 CA127462) to FB.
References
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