ArticlePloS one2015
Evaluation of MCF10A as a Reliable Model for Normal Human Mammary Epithelial Cells.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 145 papers.
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Who cites it
145 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Localized Intratumoral Ammonium Hydroxide Administration Demonstrates Changes in Tumor Architecture and Renal Response in a Murine Breast Cancer Xenograft Model.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- Intrinsic cellular heterogeneity directs divergent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition outcomes.The FEBS journal · 2026Article
- Fluctuating environment causes neoplastic transition and epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in human cells.Research square · 2026Article
- Cetyl All-International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- HURP Silencing Differentially Impacts Spindle Architecture and Metastatic Behavior in Breast Cancer Cell Lines.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Oncogenic cell fate decision in breast epithelial cells I: growth factors and mechanisms.Research square · 2026Article
- Endogenous and environmental factors that induce DNA replication defects and genomic instability in ER-negative heterozygous BRCA1 cells.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Evaluating the Antiproliferative Effects of Tri(2-Furyl)- and Triphenylphosphine-Gold(I) Pyridyl- and Pyrimidine-Thiolate Complexes.Biomolecules · 2026Article
- Developing Mammary Gland Models for Biomedical Applications.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Oleanolic acid and its derivatives in breast cancer therapy: mechanistic insights, structural modifications, and novel delivery strategies.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Breast cancer bone metastasis and bone metastatic cells retain NKG2DLs intracellularly: could this be a strategy to evade immune recognition?Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Article
- Extracellular Matrix Viscoelasticity Regulates Mammary Branching Morphogenesis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Targeting ubiquitin-specific protease 14 reduces metastatic potential and metabolic activity in cervical cancer via direct modulation of monocarboxylate transporter-4.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- Protocol to Establish Estrogen Receptor-Negative Heterozygous BRCA1 Organoids.Methods and protocols · 2025Article
- The adenovirus E4orf1 protein initiates a feedback loop involving insulin and growth factor receptors, AKT, and NF-κB, leading to abnormal DNA content in infected cells.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Antineoplastic Activity of a Novel Trispecific Single-Chain Antibody Targeting the hERG1/β1 Integrin Complex and TRAIL Receptors.Molecular cancer therapeutics · 2025Article
- Oncostatin M orchestrates collective epithelial migration via HIF1A activation.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Microwave-assisted immunostaining for rapid labeling of matrix-embedded multicellular structures.APL bioengineering · 2025Article
85 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women worldwide. Various cell models have been developed to study breast cancer tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug sensitivity. The MCF10A human mammary epithelial cell line is a widely used in vitro model for studying normal breast cell function and transformation. However, there is limited knowledge about whether MCF10A cells reliably represent normal human mammary cells. MCF10A cells were grown in monolayer, suspension (mammosphere culture), three-dimensional (3D) "on-top" Matrigel, 3D "cell-embedded" Matrigel, or mixed Matrigel/collagen I gel. Suspension culture was performed with the MammoCult medium and low-attachment culture plates. Cells grown in 3D culture were fixed and subjected to either immunofluorescence staining or embedding and sectioning followed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. Cells or slides were stained for protein markers commonly used to identify mammary progenitor and epithelial cells. MCF10A cells expressed markers representing luminal, basal, and progenitor phenotypes in two-dimensional (2D) culture. When grown in suspension culture, MCF10A cells showed low mammosphere-forming ability. Cells in mammospheres and 3D culture expressed both luminal and basal markers. Surprisingly, the acinar structure formed by MCF10A cells in 3D culture was positive for both basal markers and the milk proteins β-casein and α-lactalbumin. MCF10A cells exhibit a unique differentiated phenotype in 3D culture which may not exist or be rare in normal human breast tissue. Our results raise a question as to whether the commonly used MCF10A cell line is a suitable model for human mammary cell studies.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.