Epithelial-stromal interactions play an essential role in regulation of mammary gland development, homeostasis, and tumorigenesis. Fibroblasts constitute a substantial proportion of mammary gland stromal cells in human breast and have been recognized for their paracrine signaling and extracellular matrix production and remodeling roles during normal breast development as well as in breast cancer. However, our current knowledge on human breast fibroblast functions is incomplete. Here we provide a detailed protocol for an organotypic human breast assay to facilitate research in the roles of human breast fibroblasts in mammary epithelial morphogenesis and early tumorigenesis.
Keywords: 3D culture; Breast; Epithelial-stromal interactions; Fibroblast; Mammary gland; Spheroid.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.