[Source: Essential role for a novel population of binucleated mammary epithelial cells in lactation. Anne C. Rios et al (2016),…
[Source: Essential role for a novel population of binucleated mammary epithelial cells in lactation. Anne C. Rios et al (2016), Nature Communications http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11400]
The mammary gland represents a unique tissue to study organogenesis as it predominantly develops in the post-natal animal and undergoes dramatic morphogenetic changes during puberty and the reproductive cycle. The physiological function of the mammary gland is to produce milk to sustain the newborn. Here we view the lactating gland through three-dimensional confocal imaging of intact tissue. We observed that the majority of secretory alveolar cells are binucleated. These cells first arise in very late pregnancy due to failure of cytokinesis and are larger than mononucleated cells.