Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann logoLink to Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann
. 1991 May;82(5):553–558. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1991.tb01886.x

Effects of Lactogenic Hormones on Morphological Development and Growth of Human Breast Epithelial Cells Cultivated in Collagen Gels

Kazuhide Takahashi 1,✉, Katsuo Suzuki 1, Satoru Kawahara 2, Tetsuo Ono 1
PMCID: PMC5918488  PMID: 1905701

Abstract

We investigated the hormonal dependence of the growth and morphological development of human breast epithelial cells (HBEC) cultivated in collagen gels floating on serum–free medium. HBEC used had grown out from breast carcinoma tissue and from histologically non–malignant tissue fragments in the same mastectomy specimens. In the presence of ail three lactogenic hormones, hydrocortisone (HC), insulin (INS), and prolactin (PRL), both carcinoma–derived and histologically non–malignant tissue–derived HBEC grew and formed cell masses with protruding tubule–like extensions that consisted of a multilayer of cells. Deletion of any one of the hormones from the medium had no effect on cell growth of HBEC derived from either tissue type. However, morphological development, especially the morphology of the tubule–like extensions, was altered in the histologically non–malignant tissue–derived HBEC by deletion of HC or INS, and by deletion of HC, but not INS, in the carcinoma–derived HBEC. The present results suggest that the carcinomaderived HBEC have decreased responsiveness to INS as compared to that of HBEC derived from histologically non–malignant breast tissue.

Keywords: Breast carcinoma, Lactogenic hormone, Morphological development, Collagen gel culture

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (806.8 KB).

REFERENCES

  • 1. ) Emerman , J. T. , and Pitelka , D. R.Maintenance and induction of morphological differentiation in dissociated mammary epithelium on floating collagen membranes . In Vitro CellDev. Biol. 13 , 316 – 328 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2. ) Emerman , J. T. , Enami , J. , Pitelka , D. R. and Nandi , S.Hormonal effects on intracellular and secreted casein in cultures of mouse mammary epithelial cells on floating collagen membranes . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 74 , 4466 – 4470 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3. ) Enami , J. , Yang , J. and Nandi , S.Simultaneous production of casein and mammary tumor virus in mouse mammary epithelial cells grown on floating collagen gels . Cancer Lett. , 6 , 99 – 105 ( 1979. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4. ) Tonelli , Q. J. and Sorof , S.Induction of biochemical differentiation in three–dimensional collagen cultures of mammary epithelial cells from virgin mice . Differentiation , 22 , 195 – 200 ( 1982. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5. ) Rocha , V. , Ringo , D. L. and Read , D. B.Casein production during differentiation of mammary epithelial cells in collagen gel culture . Exp. Cell Res. , 159 , 201 – 210 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6. ) Katiyar , V. N. , Enami , J. and Nandi , S.Effect of polypeptide hormones on stimulation of casein secretion by mouse mammary epithelial cells grown on floating collagen gels . In Vitro CellDev. Biol , 14 , 771 – 774 ( 1978. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7. ) Yang , J. , Richards , J. , Bowman , P. , Guzman , R. , Enami , J. , McCormick , K. , Hamamoto , S. , Pitelka , D. and Nandi , S.Sustained growth and three–dimensional organization of primary mammary tumor epithelial cells embedded in collagen gels . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 76 , 3401 – 3405 ( 1979. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8. ) Lee , E. Y‐H. , Parry , G. and Bissell , M. J.Modulation of secreted proteins of mouse mammary epithelial cells by the collagenous substrata. J . Cell Biol , 98 , 146 – 155 ( 1984. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9. ) Lee , E. Y‐H. , Lee , W‐H. , Kaetzel , C. S. , Parry , G. and Bissell , M. J.Interaction of mouse mammary epithelial cells with collagen substrata: regulation of casein gene expression and secretion . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 82 , 1419 – 1423 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10. ) Li , M. L. , Aggeler , J. , Farson , D. A. , Hatier , C. , Hassell , L. and Bissell , M. J.Influence of a reconstituted basement membrane and its components on casein gene expression and secretion in mouse mammary epithelial cells . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 84 , 136 – 140 ( 1987. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11. ) Ormerod , E. J. and Rudland , P. S.Mammary gland morphogenesis in vitro: formation of branched tubules in collagen gels by a cloned rat mammary cell line , Dev. Biol , 91 , 360 – 375 ( 1982. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12. ) Yang , J. , Elias , J. J , Petrakis , N. L. , Wellings , S. R. and Nandi , S.Effects of hormones and growth factors on human mammary epithelial cells in collagen gel culture . Cancer Res. , 41 , 1021 – 1027 ( 1981. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13. ) Takahashi , K. , Kawahara , S. and Ono , T.Effects of growth factors and hormones on growth and morphological differentiation of human breast epithelial cells within collagen gel in serum–free medium . Jpn. J. Cancer Res. , 81 , 52 – 57 ( 1990. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14. ) Yang , J. , Balakrishnan , A. , Hamamoto , S. , Elias , J. J. , Rosenau , W. , Beattie , C. W. , Das Gupta , T. K. , Welling , S. R. and Nandi , S.Human breast epithelial cells in serum–free collagen gel primary culture: growth, morphological, and immunocytochemical analysis . J. Cell Physiol. , 133 , 228 – 234 ( 1987. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15. ) Takahashi , K. , Suzuki , K. , Kawahara , S. and Ono , T.Growth stimulation of human breast epithelial cells by basic fibroblast growth factor in serum–free medium . Int. J. Cancer , 43 , 870 – 874 ( 1989. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16. ) Hammond , S. L. , Ham , R. G. and Stampfer , M. R.Serum–free growth of human mammary epithelial cells: rapid clonal growth in defined medium and extended serial passage with pituitary extract . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 81 , 5435 – 5439 ( 1984. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17. ) Hinegardner , R. T.An improved fluorometric assay for DNA . Anal. Biochem. , 39 , 197 – 201 ( 1971. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18. ) Bissell , M. J. , Li , M. L. , Chen , L‐H. and Lee , E. Y‐H.Regulation of milk proteins in the mouse mammary epithelial cells by extracellular matrix and hormones . In “ Growth and Differentiation of Mammary Epithelial Cells in Culture ”, ed. Enami J. and Ham R. G. , pp. 155 – 186 ( 1987. ). Japan Scientific Societies Press; , Tokyo . [Google Scholar]
  • 19. ) Takahashi , K. and Ono , T.Cytoskeleton in human mammary carcinoma cells forming three–dimensional cellular structures within collagen gels . Cell Struct. Funct. , 15 , 229 – 236 ( 1990. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES