title: Morphologically stable epithelial vesicles cultured from normal human endometrium in defined media.
abstract: Epithelium from normal human endometrium was cultured as morphologically stable vesicular structures in a defined, hormone-supplemented PFMR-4 medium. The structures consisted of a single layer of polarized epithelial cells with the apical surface facing the external culture medium, and the basal surface resting on a well-defined basal lamina adjacent to the internal lumen. Vesicles were shown to retain their viability for up to 3 mo. in culture, to actively synthesize DNA after being cultured for over a month in a defined medium, and to respond to steroid hormones. When embedded within a collagen gel, the vesicles reversed their epithelial polarity and formed branching, pseudoglandular structures. It was concluded that the three-dimensional shape of the epithelial vesicles had a critical role to play in their morphological stability, nutrient requirement, and hormone sensitivity.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005782:Gels; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005782:Gels; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D003094:Collagen