Skip to main content
PMC home page
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1986 Aug;124(2):199–206.

Cell proliferation in the human mammary epithelium. Differential contribution by epithelial and myoepithelial cells.

K Joshi, J A Smith, N Perusinghe, P Monoghan
PMCID: PMC1888284  PMID: 3740213

Abstract

The ductal system of the human breast consists of epithelial, myoepithelial, and basal clear cells. By labeling ducts and alveoli dissected from reduction mammoplasty specimens with 3H-thymidine in vitro and labeling human breast organoids xenografted in nude mice in vivo, it was found that cellular proliferation in the human breast is virtually confined to epithelial and basal clear cells. A pulse label of 3H-thymidine in organ culture explants was followed over a period of time, and it was found that myoepithelial cells originate from a precursor cell population within the mammary epithelium after a number of cell divisions. Myoepithelial cells were not seen to divide when fully mature.

Full text

PDF
199

Images in this article

201Figure 1
on p.201
203Figure 2
on p.203

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson T. J., Ferguson D. J., Raab G. M. Cell turnover in the "resting" human breast: influence of parity, contraceptive pill, age and laterality. Br J Cancer. 1982 Sep;46(3):376–382. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1982.213. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BASSLER R. Beiträge zur Morphologie der kindlichen Brustdrüse. Frankf Z Pathol. 1958 Mar;69(1):36–52. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Caro L. G. A common source of difficulty in high-resolution radioautography. J Cell Biol. 1969 Jun;41(3):918–919. doi: 10.1083/jcb.41.3.918. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Easty G. C., Easty D. M., Monaghan P., Ormerod M. G., Neville A. M. Preparation and identification of human breast epithelial cells in culture. Int J Cancer. 1980 Nov 15;26(5):577–584. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910260509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ferguson D. J., Anderson T. J. Morphological evaluation of cell turnover in relation to the menstrual cycle in the "resting" human breast. Br J Cancer. 1981 Aug;44(2):177–181. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1981.168. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fisher E. R. Ultrastructure of the human breast and its disorders. Am J Clin Pathol. 1976 Aug;66(2):291–375. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/66.2.291. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Flaxman B. A., Lasfargues E. Y. Hormone-independent DNA synthesis by epithelial cells of adult human mammary gland in organ culture. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1973 Jun;143(2):371–374. doi: 10.3181/00379727-143-37323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Meyer J. S., Connor R. E. Cell proliferation in fibrocystic disease and postmenopause breast ducts measured by thymidine labeling. Cancer. 1982 Aug 15;50(4):746–751. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19820815)50:4<746::aid-cncr2820500420>3.0.co;2-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ozzello L. Ultrastructure of the human mammary gland. Pathol Annu. 1971;6:1–59. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Puglisi P. P., Algeri A. Role of the mitochondrion in the regulation of protein synthesis in the eucaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Gen Genet. 1971;110(2):110–117. doi: 10.1007/BF00332642. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Shirakawa S., Luce J. K., Tannock I., Frei E., 3rd Cell proliferation in human melanoma. J Clin Invest. 1970 Jun;49(6):1188–1199. doi: 10.1172/JCI106333. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Smith C. A., Monaghan P., Neville A. M. Basal clear cells of the normal human breast. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol. 1984;402(3):319–329. doi: 10.1007/BF00695085. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Stirling J. W., Chandler J. A. The fine structure of the normal, resting terminal ductal-lobular unit of the female breast. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histol. 1976 Dec 27;372(3):205–226. doi: 10.1007/BF00433280. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Tannenbaum M., Weiss M., Marx A. J. Ultrastructure of the human mammary ductule. Cancer. 1969 Apr;23(4):958–978. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196904)23:4<958::aid-cncr2820230435>3.0.co;2-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Taylor J. H., Woods P. S., Hughes W. L. THE ORGANIZATION AND DUPLICATION OF CHROMOSOMES AS REVEALED BY AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDIES USING TRITIUM-LABELED THYMIDINEE. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1957 Jan 15;43(1):122–128. doi: 10.1073/pnas.43.1.122. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Toker C. Observations on the ultrastructure of a mammary ductule. J Ultrastruct Res. 1967 Nov;21(1):9–25. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(67)80003-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Van Bogarert L. J. The proliferative behavior of the human adult mammary epithelium. Acta Cytol. 1979 May-Jun;23(3):252–257. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. van Bogaert L. J. Effect of hormone on human mammary duct in vitro. Horm Metab Res. 1978 Jul;10(4):337–340. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1093426. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES