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Figure 4 | Breast Cancer Research

Figure 4

From: Embryonic cells contribute directly to the quiescent stem cell population in the adult mouse mammary gland

Figure 4

A subset of eLLRCs re-enter the cell cycle during postnatal development and tissue remodeling. Embryonically EdU-labeled (e14.5 to e18) animals were administered BrdU for five days at different stages of postnatal development. Paraffin sections of mammary glands at (A) five days (newborn), (B) three weeks and five days (puberty), (C) mid-pregnancy (12.5 days) and (D) four months (virgin-nulliparous) were co-stained for EdU and BrdU. K14 staining is included in some samples to aid in tissue structure visualization. Double-labeled EdU + BrdU+ cells (see white arrows) were evident in glands analyzed at all time points. In addition, a cohort of female mice that received a second BrdU pulse at puberty or pregnancy was also chased for an additional five to seven weeks (E,F). Examination of BrdU pulse-chased mammary glands demonstrated double-labeled LRCs at the end of puberty (eight weeks of age) (E), and occasional rare EdU + BrdU + LRCs at the end of involution (F). White arrows denote double-labeled cells. Scale bar, 20 μm. Rectangles highlight areas shown at higher magnification. BrdU, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine; e, embryonic day; EdU, 5-ethynl-2′-deoxyuridine; eLLRCs, embryonically derived long label retaining cells; LRCs, label retaining cells.

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