Luminal MCF-12A & myoepithelial-like Hs 578Bst cells form bilayered acini similar to human breast.

Unlabelled: The epithelium's functional unit is the bilayered acinus, made of a layer of luminal cells, surrounded by a layer of basal cells mainly composed of myoepithelial cells.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a reproducible and manipulable 3D co-culture model of the bilayered acinus to study the interactions between the two layers.

Materials & Methods: Two different combinations of cell lines were co-cultured in Matrigel: SCp2 and SCg6 mice cells, or MCF-12A and Hs 578Bst human cell lines.

Connexins, E-cadherin, Claudin-7 and β-catenin transiently form junctional nexuses during the post-natal mammary gland development.

Gap junctions are intercellular channels made of connexins (Cxs) that allow direct communication between adjacent cells. Modulation of Cxs has been associated with abnormal development and function of the mammary gland and breast cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying their expression during normal mammary gland are not yet known.