An in vitro long-term culture model for normal human mammary gland: expression and regulation of steroid receptors

Steroids and their nuclear receptors play crucial roles in the development and maintenance of normal functions of the human mammary gland (HMG). They have also been implicated in breast carcinogenesis. However, the study of steroid action in normal HMG has been hampered by experimental difficulties. By using a newly established in vitro long-term culture method, we successfully cultured normal HMG tissue for more than 2 months without detriment to its morphology or steroid receptor expression. Expression of the cellular structural and extracellular matrix proteins was similar to that prior to culture, and HMG tissue retained its properties of steroid receptor expression and regulation. Addition of 17-β estrogen to mammary tissues markedly increased the expression of progesterone receptor (PR) but only slightly affected that of the estrogen receptor (ER). Medroxyprogesterone acetate down-regulated the expression of PR within 24–48 h and also increased the expression of androgen receptor. When HMG tissue was cultured in medium containing normal or dextran-coated charcoal-stripped fetal calf serum or normal human serum, the expression and regulation of steroid hormone receptors were similar, although different in extent. When serum was omitted, the morphology of HMG was normal after 1 week, but the expression and regulation of ER and PR were altered. Thus, as HMGs retain the capacity to express steroid receptors in culture, this long-term culture system is probably a good model for studying the regulation of the mammary gland by steroids.