Establishment and characterization of a bovine mammary epithelial cell line with unique properties.
Clonal cell lines (BME-UV) were established from primary epithelial cells by stable transfection with a plasmid, carrying the sequence of the simian virus 40 early region mutant tsA58, encoding the thermolabile large T antigen. The BME-UV cells have undergone more than 300 population doublings and produce intranuclear large T antigen. At low confluency, growing islands of cells are apparent exhibiting the characteristic cobblestone morphology of epithelial cells. The BME-UV cells expressed functional markers such as microvilli and desmosomes and biochemical markers of mammary epithelial cells such as a repertoire of cytokeratins. The BME-UV cells are capable of synthesizing low levels of alpha-lactalbumin and alpha s1-casein (50 ng/ml of medium/24 h). One of the cell lines, BME-UV1 showed enhanced proliferation in the presence of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I). The BME-UV1 cell line is the only known bovine mammary epithelial cell line responsive to EGF. The BME-UV cells grown on collagen at low confluency are capable of developing very long projections that most likely allow for communication between cells at a distance from each other. The BME-UV cells may become a valid model system to examine bovine mammary epithelial proliferation and differentiation and cell-to-cell communication.
Zavizion
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Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405, USA.
van Duffelen
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Schaeffer
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Politis
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I
D000818:Animals; D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming / Q000235:genetics; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002417:Cattle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D003470:Culture Media / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000737:chemistry*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast
D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming; D003470:Culture Media; D006133:Growth Substances