Letter abstract
Nature Cell Biology 10, 716 - 722 (2008)
Published online: 11 May 2008 | doi:10.1038/ncb1734
1 Integrin deletion from the basal compartment of the mammary epithelium affects stem cells
Ilaria Taddei1, Marie-Ange Deugnier1, Marisa M. Faraldo1, Valérie Petit1, Daniel Bouvard2, Daniel Medina3, Reinhard Fässler2, Jean Paul Thiery1,4 & Marina A. Glukhova1
The mammary gland epithelium comprises two major cell types: basal and luminal. Basal cells interact directly with the extracellular matrix (ECM) and express higher levels of the ECM receptors, integrins, than luminal cells. We show that deletion of 
1 integrin from basal cells abolishes the regenerative potential of the mammary epithelium and affects mammary gland development. The mutant epithelium was characterized by an abnormal ductal branching pattern and aberrant morphogenesis in pregnancy, although at the end of gestation, the secretory alveoli developed from 1 integrin-positive progenitors. Lack of 1 integrin altered the orientation of the basal-cell division axis and in mutant epithelium, in contrast to control tissue, the progeny of 1 integrin-null basal cells, identified by a genetic marker, was found in the luminal compartment. These results reveal, for the first time, the essential role of the basal mammary epithelial cell–ECM interactions mediated by 1 integrins in the maintenance of a functional stem cell population, mammary morphogenesis and segregation of the two major mammary cell lineages.
- Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR144, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75248 Paris cedex 05, France.
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Medicine, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
- Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
- IMCB, A*STAR 61, Biopolis Drive, 138673 Singapore.
Correspondence to: Marina A. Glukhova1 e-mail: Marina.Glukhova@curie.fr
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