The epithelium's functional unit is the bilayered acinus, made of a layer of luminal cells, surrounded by a layer of basal cells mainly composed of myoepithelial cells.
Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a reproducible and manipulable 3D co-culture model of the bilayered acinus in vitro to study the interactions between the two layers.
Materials & methods: Two different combinations of cell lines were co-cultured in Matrigel: SCp2 and SCg6 mice cells, or MCF-12A and Hs 578Bst human cell lines.
Results: Confocal microscopy analysis showed that only MCF-12A and Hs 578Bst cells could form some bilayered acini. This in vitro bilayered acini model will allow us to understand the role of interactions between luminal and myoepithelial cells in the normal breast development.
Keywords: 3D co-culture model; acini; acinus; breast; epithelium; mammary gland.