Journal article
Resident macrophages influence stem cell activity in the mammary gland
DE Gyorki, ML Asselin-Labat, N van Rooijen, GJ Lindeman, JE Visvader
Breast Cancer Research | BMC | Published : 2009
DOI: 10.1186/bcr2353
Open access
Abstract
Introduction: Macrophages in the mammary gland are essential for morphogenesis of the ductal epithelial tree and have been implicated in promoting breast tumor metastasis. Although it is well established that macrophages influence normal mammopoiesis, the mammary cell types that these accessory cells influence have not been determined. Here we have explored a role for macrophages in regulating mammary stem cell (MaSC) activity, by assessing the ability of MaSCs to reconstitute a mammary gland in a macrophage-depleted fat pad.Methods: Two different in vivo models were used to deplete macrophages from the mouse mammary fat pad, allowing us to examine the effect of macrophage deficiency on the ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We are grateful to S. Holroyd and K. Haunholter for expert technical assistance, to K. Stoev and K. Johnson for excellent animal husbandry, and S. Mihajlovic and E. Tsui for expert assistance with histology. R. Anderson kindly provided the BALB/c Csf1<SUP>op/op</SUP> mice. We thank John Hamilton for discussions. This work was supported by the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, Australia). D. Gyorki received support from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. M-L Asselin-Labat was the recipient of an ARC Fellowship (Australia).