Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Mammary epithelial cells (MEpiC) lie within the alveolar lumen of the breast lobules, which together with mammary ducts and adipose tissues, form a complex network in the mammary gland. MEpiC respond to various growth factors and hormonal cues and undergo changes in growth, invasion, and differentiation during pre- and postnatal stages, puberty, and pregnancy. Aberrant levels of hormones and extracellular matrix composition, and other genetic factors have been shown to induce uncontrolled proliferation of MEpiC, resulting in breast cancer development. Understanding the cellular properties of MEpiC will help identify the disease mechanisms in breast cancer and the new targets for therapeutic development.

HMEpiC from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from human breast. HMEpiC are cryopreserved at passage one and delivered frozen. Each vial contains >5 x 10⁵ cells in 1 ml volume. HMEpiC are characterized by immunofluorescence with antibodies specific to cytokeratin18 and/or cytokeratin-19. HMEpiC are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. HMEpiC are guaranteed to further expand for 10 population doublings under the conditions provided by ScienCell Research Laboratories.

Recommended Medium

It is recommended to use Mammary Epithelial Cell Medium (MEpiCM, Cat. #7611) for culturing HMEpiC in vitro.