TY  - JOUR
TI  - Development of the Mammary Gland in Mouse: A Whole-Mount Microscopic Analysis
AU  - Wang, Bo 
AU  - Xie, Yuchen 
AU  - Yang, Zejian 
AU  - Zhang, Jingyue 
AU  - Zhang, Huiwen 
AU  - Liu, Peijun 
VL  - 14
IS  - 20
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/10/20
SP  - e5089
C1  - Bio-protocol 2024;14:e5089
DO  - 10.21769/BioProtoc.5089
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.5089
AB  - The mammary gland undergoes functional, developmental, and structural changes that are essential for lactation and reproductive processes. An overview of such unique tissue can offer clearer insights into mammary development and tumorigenesis. Compared to traditional methods, mouse mammary gland whole mount is a pivotal technique that provides three-dimensional structural perspectives on gland morphology and developmental stages, offering an inexpensive and accessible approach. This protocol outlines the tissue isolation of the mouse mammary gland and provides detailed instructions for whole-mount staining and analysis. Mammary gland tissues are carefully dissected from euthanized mice and stained with Carmine Alum to highlight the ductal structures, enabling detailed visualization of the branching patterns and morphological changes. Light microscopy is used to capture a panoramic image of the stained mammary gland, enabling the quantitative analysis of terminal end buds (TEBs) and bifurcated TEBs to further investigate mammary gland remodeling. This method can provide invaluable insights, particularly in the study of mammary gland morphogenesis and tumorigenesis, underscoring its significance in both basic research and clinical applications.
KW  - Mouse
KW  - Mammary gland
KW  - Whole-mount
KW  - Mammary gland development
KW  - Morphogenesis
KW  - Terminal end buds
KW  - Breast cancer
KW  - Tumorigenesis
JF  - Bio-protocol
SN  - 2331-8325
PB  - Bio-protocol LLC.
BIO101  - False