Name: differentiation of mouse breast epithelial hc11 and eph4 cells
Uploaded: 2020-02-27T12:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells at JoVE.com

The HC11 cell line was kindly provided by Dr. D. Medina (Houston, TX). The authors are grateful to Dr. Andrew Craig of Queen&#39;s University for many reagents and valuable suggestions. EpH4 cells were a gift from Dr. C. Roskelley (UBC, Vancouver). Colleen Schick provided excellent technical assistance for 3D culture studies.
The financial assistance of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF, Ontario Chapter), the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Breast Cancer Action Kingston (BCAK) and the Clare Nelson bequest fund through grants to LR is gratefully acknowledged. BE received grant support from CIHR, CBCF, BCAK and Cancer Research Society Inc. PTG is supported by a Canada Research Chair, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, CIHR, NSERC and Canadian Cancer Society. MN was supported by a studentship from the Terry Fox Training Program in Transdisciplinary Cancer Research from NCIC, a Graduate award (QGA), and a Dean&#39;s Award from Queen&#39;s University. MG was supported by postdoctoral fellowships from the US Army Breast Cancer Program, the Ministry of Research and Innovation of the Province of Ontario and the Advisory Research Committee of Queen&#39;s University. VH was supported by a CBCF doctoral fellowship and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Terry Fox Foundation Training Program in Transdisciplinary Cancer Research in partnership with CIHR. Hanad Adan was the recipient of an NSERC summer studentship. BS was supported by a Queen&#39;s University graduate award.

1. Plating HC11 Cells
<ol>
	<li>In a laminar flow hood using sterile techniques prepare a bottle with 50 mL of HC11 cell medium: RPMI-1640 with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 5 &#956;g/mL insulin, and 10 ng/mL EGF (see Table of Materials).</li>
	<li>Plate approximately 400,000 cells per 3 cm Petri dish: Pass two 10 cm, 50% confluent Petri dishes into twenty 3 cm dishes in HC11 medium. The cells must be well spread out but drying must be avoided.
	<ol>
		<li>Aspirate the medium into a flask using a vacuu...

     

<ol>
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M., Birchmeier, W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hepatocyte+growth+factor/scatter+factor+induces+a+variety+of+tissue-specific+morphogenic+programs+in+epithelial+cells.">Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor induces a variety of tissue-specific morphogenic programs in epithelial cells.</a> Journal of Cell Biology. 131, 1573-1586 (1995).</li><li>Starova, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Role of cell adhesion microevironment and the Src/Stat3 axis in autocrine HGF signaling during breast tumourigenesis. , (2008).</li><li>Raptis, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rasleu61+blocks+differentiation+of+transformable+3T3+L1+and+C3HT1/2-derived+preadipocytes+in+a+dose-+and+time-dependent+manner.">Rasleu61 blocks differentiation of transformable 3T3 L1 and C3HT1/2-derived preadipocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner.</a> Cell Growth &amp; Differentiation. 8, 11-21 (1997).</li><li>Greer, S., Honeywell, R., Geletu, M., Arulanandam, R., Raptis, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Housekeeping+gene+products;+levels+may+change+with+confluence+of+cultured+cells.">Housekeeping gene products; levels may change with confluence of cultured cells.</a> Journal of Immunological Methods. 355, 76-79 (2010).</li><li>Vultur, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+to+cell+adhesion+modulates+Stat3+activity+in+normal+and+breast+carcinoma+cells.">Cell to cell adhesion modulates Stat3 activity in normal and breast carcinoma cells.</a> Oncogene. 23, 2600-2616 (2004).</li><li>Debnath, J., Muthuswamy, S. K., Brugge, J. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Morphogenesis+and+oncogenesis+of+MCF-10A+mammary+epithelial+acini+grown+in+three-dimensional+basement+membrane+cultures.">Morphogenesis and oncogenesis of MCF-10A mammary epithelial acini grown in three-dimensional basement membrane cultures.</a> Methods. 30 (3), 256-268 (2003).</li><li>Lee, G. Y., Kenny, P. A., Lee, E. H., Bissell, M. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Three-dimensional+culture+models+of+normal+and+malignant+breast+epithelial+cells.">Three-dimensional culture models of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells.</a> Nature Methods. 4 (4), 359-365 (2007).</li><li>Hoskin, V. 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HC11 cells are ideally suited for the study of differentiation in conjunction with neoplastic transformation. An added advantage is that HC11 cells are easily infectable with Mo-MLV-based retroviral vectors to express a variety of genes. In our hands, EpH4 cells were more difficult to infect with the same retroviral vectors than HC112.
Cell-to-cell contact and growth arrest are key prerequisites for HC11 cell differentiation. Thus, to achieve uniform differentiation acr...

In normal tissues or tumors, cells have extensive opportunities for adhesion to their neighbors in a three-dimensional organization, and this is mimicked in culture by high density cell growth. Cell-to-cell adhesion is mediated mainly through cadherin receptors, which define cell and tissue architecture. Interestingly, it was recently demonstrated that cadherins also play a powerful role in signal transduction, especially in survival signaling1. Paradoxically, some of these cell-to-cell adhesion signals emanating from cadherins were recently found to be shared by both differentiation and neoplasia2. Here, we describe methods of induction and assessment of differentiation in two representative types of mouse breast epithelial cell lines, HC11 and EpH4.
The HC11 mouse breast epithelial cell line can provide a useful model for the study of epithelial cell differentiation. HC11 cells are a COMMA-1D-derived cell line, originating from the mammary gland of a mid-pregnant Balb/c mouse3. In contrast to other COMMA-1D derivative clones, the HC11 clone has no requirement for exogenously added extracellular matrix or cocultivation with other cell types for the in vitro induction of the endogenous &#946;-casein gene by lactogenic hormones3. This cell line has been used extensively in differentiation studies because it has retained important characteristics of the normal mammary epithelium: HC11 cells can partially reconstitute the ductal epithelium in a cleared mammary fat pad4. Moreover, they can differentiate in a two-dimensional (2D) culture when grown to confluence attached to a plastic Petri dish surface in the presence of a steroid such as Hydrocortisone or Dexamethasone, in addition to Insulin and Prolactin (HIP medium) lacking epidermal growth factor (EGF), an inhibitor of differentiation5,6,7. Under these conditions, HC11 cells produce milk proteins such as &#946;-casein and WAP, which are detectable by Western blotting within 4 days following induction. At the same time, a portion of HC11 cells forms rudimentary mammary gland-like structures termed &#34;domes&#34; in a stochastic manner. Domes are visible 4&#8211;5 days following induction and gradually increase in size up to day 10, concomitant with an increase in &#946;-casein production8. Interestingly, HC11 cells possess mutant p539, and therefore represent a preneoplastic state. For this reason, the HC11 model is ideally suited to study signaling networks of differentiation in conjunction with neoplasia in the same cell system.
EpH4 cells, a derivative of IM-2 cells, are a nontumorigenic cell line originally derived from spontaneously immortalized mouse mammary gland epithelial cells isolated from a mid-pregnant Balb/c mouse10. EpH4 cells form continuous epithelial monolayers in 2D culture, but do not differentiate into glandular-like structures10,11. However, following 3D growth in a material consisting of a mixture of extracellular matrix proteins produced by EHS mouse sarcoma cells12 (EHS matrix, matrix, or Matrigel, see Table of Materials), in addition to stimulation with HIP, EpH4 cells can recapitulate the initial stages of mammary gland differentiation. Under these conditions, EpH4 cells form spheroids (also called mammospheres) that exhibit apical-basal polarity and a hollow lumen, and are capable of producing the milk proteins &#946;-casein and WAP, similar to lactating mammary epithelial cells. Contrary to HC11 cells, which are undifferentiated, and some express mesenchymal markers13, EpH4 cells exhibit a purely luminal morphology14. EpH4 cells have also been reported to produce milk proteins in 2D culture through stimulation with dexamethasone, insulin, and prolactin15. However, this approach precludes the study of regulatory effects that mimic the mammary gland microenvironment in 3D culture.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>30% Acrylamide/0.8% Bis Solution</td>
			<td>Bio Rad</td>
			<td>1610154</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-Cyclin D1 antibody</td>
			<td>rabbit, Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>sc-717</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-p120 antibody</td>
			<td>mouse, Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>sc-373751</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-&#946; actin antibody</td>
			<td>mouse, Cell Signalling technology</td>
			<td>3700</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-&#946; casein antibody</td>
			<td>goat, Santa Cruz Biotechnology</td>
			<td>sc-17971</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Aprotinin</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>APR600</td>
			<td>Lysis Buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bicinchoninic Acid Solution</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>B9643-1L-KC</td>
			<td>Protein Determination</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine serum albumin</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>ALB007.500</td>
			<td>Protein Determination</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Clarity Western ECL Substrate</td>
			<td>Bio Rad</td>
			<td>170-5061</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Copper(II) sulphate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C2284-25ML</td>
			<td>Protein Determination</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAPI</td>
			<td>Thermofisher Scientific</td>
			<td>D1306</td>
			<td>Staining</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Digitonin</td>
			<td>Calbiochem, Cedarlane Laboratories Ltd</td>
			<td>14952-500</td>
			<td>Staining</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>EDT001.500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Epidermal Growth Factor</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>E9644</td>
			<td>Medium for HC11 Cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal calf serum</td>
			<td>PAA</td>
			<td>A15-751</td>
			<td>Cell Culture Medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat- Anti Rabbit-HRP</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>SC-2004</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hepatocyte Growth Factor recombinant</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>PHG0321</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hepes</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>7365-45-9</td>
			<td>Cell Culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Horse Anti-Mouse HRP</td>
			<td>Cell Signalling Technology</td>
			<td>7076</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hydrocortisone</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H0888</td>
			<td>HIP Medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>insulin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>I6634</td>
			<td>HIP Medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Laminar-flow hood</td>
			<td>BioGard Hood</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Cell Culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Leupeptin</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>LEU001.10</td>
			<td>Lysis Buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Matrix (Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm matrix, Matrigel)</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>CACB 354230</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse Anti-Goat HRP</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>sc-8360</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mowiol 4-88 Reagent</td>
			<td>Calbiochem, Cedarlane Laboratories Ltd</td>
			<td>475904-100GM</td>
			<td>Staining</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Multi-photon confocal microscope</td>
			<td>Leica TCS SP2</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Na3VO4</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>SOV850</td>
			<td>Lysis Buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Na4P207</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>125F-0262</td>
			<td>Lysis Buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>SOD001.1</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaF</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>7681-49-4</td>
			<td>Lysis Buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nikon digital Camera</td>
			<td>Coolpix 995</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nitrocellulose</td>
			<td>Bio Rad</td>
			<td>1620112</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NP-40</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>9016-45-9</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>30525-89-4</td>
			<td>Staining</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phase Contrast Microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus IX70</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Cell Culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phenylmethylsuphonyl fluoride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>329-98-6</td>
			<td>Lysis Buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pMX GFP Rac G12V</td>
			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>14567</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prolactin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>L6520</td>
			<td>HIP Medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RPMI-1640</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>R8758</td>
			<td>Cell Culture Medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tissue Culture Dish 35</td>
			<td>Sarstedt</td>
			<td>83.3900.</td>
			<td>Cell Culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tissue Culture Plate-24 well</td>
			<td>Sarstedt</td>
			<td>83.1836.300</td>
			<td>Cell Culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transfer Apparatus</td>
			<td>CBS Scientific Co</td>
			<td>EBU-302</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris Acetate</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>TRA222.500</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>9002-07-7.</td>
			<td>Cell Culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tween-20</td>
			<td>Bio Shop</td>
			<td>TWN510.500</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Veritical Gel Electrophoresis System</td>
			<td>CBS Scientific Co</td>
			<td>MGV-202-33</td>
			<td>Western Blotting</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

differentiation of mouse breast epithelial hc11 and eph4 cells

Cadherins play an important role in the regulation of cell differentiation as well as neoplasia. Here we describe the origins and methods of the induction of differentiation of two mouse breast epithelial cell lines, HC11 and EpH4, and their use to study complementary stages of mammary gland development and neoplastic transformation.
The HC11 mouse breast epithelial cell line originated from the mammary gland of a pregnant Balb/c mouse. It differentiates when grown to confluence attached to a plastic Petri dish surface in medium containing fetal calf serum and Hydrocortisone, Insulin and Prolactin (HIP medium). Under these conditions, HC11 cells produce the milk proteins &#946;-casein and whey acidic protein (WAP), similar to lactating mammary epithelial cells, and form rudimentary mammary gland-like structures termed &#34;domes&#34;.
The EpH4 cell line was derived from spontaneously immortalized mouse mammary gland epithelial cells isolated from a pregnant Balb/c mouse. Unlike HC11, EpH4 cells can fully differentiate into spheroids (also called mammospheres) when cultured under three-dimensional (3D) growth conditions in HIP medium. Cells are trypsinized, suspended in a 20% matrix consisting of a mixture of extracellular matrix proteins produced by Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma cells, plated on top of a layer of concentrated matrix coating a plastic Petri dish or multiwell plate, and covered with a layer of 10% matrix-containing HIP medium. Under these conditions, EpH4 cells form hollow spheroids that exhibit apical-basal polarity, a hollow lumen, and produce &#946;-casein and WAP.
Using these techniques, our results demonstrated that the intensity of the cadherin/Rac signal is critical for the differentiation of HC11 cells. While Rac1 is necessary for differentiation and low levels of activated RacV12 increase differentiation, high RacV12 levels block differentiation while inducing neoplasia. In contrast, EpH4 cells represent an earlier stage in mammary epithelial differentiation, which is inhibited by even low levels of RacV12.

It has long been known that the differentiation of epithelial cells and adipocytes requires confluence and engagement of cadherins2. We and others demonstrated that cell-to-cell adhesion and engagement of E- or N-cadherin and cadherin-11, as occurs with the confluence of cultured cells, triggers a dramatic increase in the activity of the small GTPases Rac and cell division control protein 42 (Cdc42), and this process leads to activation of interleukin&#8211;6 (IL6) family cytokines and Stat3 (sign...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells at JoVE.com

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

We describe techniques for differentiation induction of two breast epithelial lines, HC11 and EpH4. While both require fetal calf serum, insulin, and prolactin to produce milk proteins, EpH4 cells can fully differentiate into mammospheres in three-dimensional culture. These complementary models are useful for signal transduction studies of differentiation and neoplasia.

Cadherins play an important role in the regulation of cell differentiation as well as neoplasia. Here we describe the origins and methods of the induction ...

The HC11 and EpH4 cells are mouse breast epithelial cell lines which can differentiate in culture. At the same time, these cells can be transformed by a number of oncogenes. These cells are ideal for the study of the interrelationship between differentiation and the neoplastic transformation.These techniques can be used in signal transduction studies to discover targets for cancer therapy. For example, the small GTPase Rac and other molecules may trigger transformation of breast epithelial cells when expressed to high levels, but surprisingly at low levels, they may induce differentiation. Other signal transducers may behave in a similar manner.The principles may apply to other types of differentiation as well where cell confluence plays an important role, for example differentiation of adipocytes or myotubes. Someone performing this technique for the first time should keep in mind that plating of the HC11 cells is important. This is because cell-to-cell contact is important for differentiation.Another point to watch out is that proper extraction of EpH4 cells from the matrix is critical for protein quantitation because any residues will affect protein determination. Visual demonstration of this method is useful because some details of the protocol are difficult to describe on paper. Start by preparing a bottle of 50 milliliters of HC11 cell medium according to manuscript directions.To plate the cells, aspirate the medium from five six centimeter 50%confluent Petri dishes and wash the cells with approximately 1.8 milliliters of trypsin using a sterile nine inch cotton plugged Pasteur pipette. Then add 200 microliters of trypsin per plate and swirl the plate to dislodge the attached cells. Observe the cells under phase contrast microscopy with a 4X objective to make sure they have started to dislodge.Then aspirate approximately 1.5 milliliters of HC11 medium with a sterile nine inch Pasteur pipette and squirt it vertically against the cells while rotating the dish making sure to avoid splashing. Transfer all the cells to the bottle with HC11 medium and swirl to disperse evenly in the bottle. Then aliquot the cell suspension into 20 three centimeter Petri dishes by pipetting two milliliters of cells per dish.Rock the Petri dishes to spread the cells and incubate them at 37 degrees Celsius and 5%carbon dioxide overnight. On the next day when the cells are 90 to 100%confluent, aspirate the medium and replace it with medium with FBS but without EGF. After growing the cells in medium without EGF for 24 hours, add the differentiation medium to 10 dishes and grow the cells for up to 10 days keeping the other 10 dishes as controls.Change the medium every two to three days with both HIP treated and control cells. To monitor the differentiation, observe the cells with phase contrast microscopy. Use fluorescence microscopy if the cells are expressing green fluorescent protein.Additionally, quantify the degree of differentiation by extracting proteins from the HIP treated and control cells once per day and performing Western Blot analysis. Gather and place the EpH4 growth medium, the EHS matrix, and two conical 50 milliliter tubes on ice. Prechill the tissue culture plates with pipette tips at minus 20 degrees Celsius and prepare EpH4 growth medium supplemented with 10 or 20%matrix in two 50 milliliter conical tubes and keep them on ice until ready to use.After retrieving the prechilled tissue culture plates at minus 20 degrees Celsius, coat 10 wells of the 24-well plate with 150 microliters of undiluted matrix by spreading the matrix with a pipette. Avoid creating bubbles when spreading the matrix. Then gently tap the sides of the plate and incubate the plate at 37 degrees Celsius for one hour to allow the matrix to solidify.Meanwhile, prepare for the differentiation by trypsinizing the EpH4 cells well as previously described and ensuring single cell suspensions after resuspension of trypsinized cells. Next, count the cells in suspension with a hemocytometer. Transfer five times 10 to the four cells per well to a 1.5 milliliter sterile conical centrifuge tube and spin them at 250 times g for five minutes.Carefully aspirate the supernatant medium and place the tube on ice. Use a one milliliter pipette tip to resuspend the cells in 350 microliters of EpH4 growth medium supplemented with 20%matrix while keeping the tubes on ice making sure to avoid bubbles. Once the bottom layer has solidified, add the 350 microliters of cell suspension to each coated well and place it in a carbon dioxide incubator at 37 degrees Celsius for one hour to allow the 20%matrix layer to solidify.Observe the cells with phase contrast microscopy to make sure single cells are visible. Then add 200 microliters of EpH4 medium with 10%matrix on top and incubate the plate at 37 degrees Celsius. Begin differentiation induction one day after plating the cells in the matrix.Carefully remove 150 microliters of top 10%matrix medium and add 200 microliters of EpH4 medium containing HIP and 10%matrix and for controls add a 10%matrix medium without HIP. Replace the medium every two days for up to 10 days monitoring mammosphere formation with phase contrast microscopy. To quantify the differentiation, carefully pipette off the 10%matrix HIP medium from the wells and rinse the 20%matrix layer with 350 microliters of ice cold PBS.Then add 70 to 100 microliters of ice cold PBS with one millimolar EDTA directly into the wells and gently detach the bottom layer of 100%matrix with a pipette tip. Shake the plate gently at four degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the spheroid suspension to a conical tube and rinse the wells with 500 microliters of PBS EDTA to recover any remaining spheroids.Rock the tube on ice for an additional 30 minutes making sure that the matrix fully dissolves. If visible matrix clumps are seen, add more PBS EDTA or shake longer. Centrifuge the solution at 350 times g to pellet the spheroids.Then aspirate the supernatant, lyse the spheroids, and probe the cells for beta-casein, cyclin D1, and p120RasGAP by Western blotting. There is a striking dependence of differentiation upon the strength of the Rac signal in HC11 cells. While endogenous CRAC1 is required for differentiation and low levels of mutationally activated RacV12 cause an increase in differentiation capacity, high RacV12 levels trigger a block of differentiation and induce neoplasia.When the differentiation properties of EpH4 cells were explored in a 3D matrix culture, it was found that beta-casein production peaked at eight to 10 days and cyclin D1 expression was maximal at four to six days after HIP stimulation. To determine the positioning of individual cells, they were stained with DAPI and imaged with confocal microscopy. Inner cell death and formation of hollow lumens was observed in the mammospheres while addition of HGF resulted in the formation of tubular structures.Someone performing this technique for the first time should keep in mind that the plating of the HC11 cells is important. Also proper extraction of the EpH4 cells from the matrix is critical for protein quantitation because any residues will affect protein determination. This technique can be used to investigate other signal transducers that may behave in a similar manner.If there are driver mutations in a cancer, then their complete inhibition will not be necessary since low levels remaining would actually induce differentiation.

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