Isolation and Culture of Primary Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Summary

The present study reports an easier, time-saving, and economical protocol to efficiently isolate and grow primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) from small amounts of mammary tissue. This protocol is suitable for quickly producing primary HMECs both for laboratory and clinical applications.

Abstract

The mammary gland is a fundamental structure of the breast and plays an essential role in reproduction. Human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs), which are the origin cells of breast cancer and other breast-related inflammatory diseases, have garnered considerable attention. However, isolating and culturing primary HMECs in vitro for research purposes has been challenging due to their highly differentiated, keratinized nature and their short lifespan. Therefore, developing a simple and efficient method to isolate and culture HMECs is of great scientific value for the study of breast biology and breast-related diseases. In this study, we successfully isolated primary HMECs from small amounts of mammary tissue by digestion with a mixture of enzymes combined with an initial culture in 5% fetal bovine serum-DMEM containing the Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632, followed by culture expansion in serum-free keratinocyte medium. This approach selectively promotes the growth of epithelial cells, resulting in an optimized cell yield. The simplicity and convenience of this method make it suitable for both laboratory and clinical research, which should provide valuable insights into these important areas of study.

Introduction

Breast cancer is the primary type of cancer diagnosed in women globally and is the primary cause of death from cancer¹. The pathogenesis of breast cancer is complex, involving multiple factors such as genetics, environment, and lifestyle. HMECs, active milk-producing cells, are one of the most important components of mammary tissue and likely are the original cells involved in breast cancer carcinogenesis. Therefore, HMECs have received the most attention from researchers for the study of breast cancer². Furthermore, primary cells have the ability to provide a biologically relevant characterization of complex cellular pr....

Protocol

Fresh normal mammary tissues used in this protocol are collected from surgery around the lesion of refractory granulomatous lobular mastitis in The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University according to the guidelines of Medical Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Protocol No. ChiMCTR2100005281, Date: 2017-07-17).

1. Acquisition of tissue

1. Collect fresh mammary tissues from surgical specime.......

Discussion

HMECs are vital in preserving the anatomical and functional integrity of mammary tissue and they are useful in scientific investigations, clinical implementations, and associated domains¹⁵. Primary epithelial cells are a type of specialized cells that have limited passages and shorter lifespans. However, the growth of HMECs has been hindered by technical constraints, which have consequently hindered research advancements in breast cancer and other inflammatory diseases related to the breast

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.05% Trypsin	Basalmedia	K431010	For HMECs  dissociation
1.5 mL microcentrifuge Tubes	NEST	081722CK01	For cell digestion
100 µm mesh filter	Solarbio	431752	For HMECs filtration
100 mm Cell Culture Dish	Corning	430167	For cell culture
4% paraformaldehyde	solarbio	P1110-100ml	For immunofluorescence staining to check differentiation marker of HMECs
50 mL Centrifuge Tube	Corning	430829	For cell centrifugation
Cell Strainer	Solarbio	431752	Cell filtration
Centrifuge	Eppendorf	5404HN133048	Cell centrifuge
CO2 Incubator	Thermo Scientific	42820906	For cell incubation
Collagenase Type I	Merck	SKU:SCR103	For HMECs isolation
Dispase	Solarbio	CAS:42613-33-2	For HMECs isolation
DMEM	Gibco	8122622	Component of neutralization medium
Fetal Bovine Serum	Gibco	2556132P	Component of neutralization medium
Penicillin/Streptomycin	Thermo Scientific	15140-122	Antibiotics
Phosphate buffered solution	Tecono	20201033	Washing solution
rabbit anti CK7	abcam	ab68459	For immunofluorescence staining to check differentiation marker of HMECs
rabbit anti GATA3	abcam	ab199428	For immunofluorescence staining to check differentiation marker of HMECs
Y-27632	Solarbio	IY0040	ROCK inhibitor