Preferred Label : mammary gland myoepithelium;
Uberon definition : the outer cell layer of the mammary gland epithelium bilayer which is located basal
to the luminal (secretory) cells and adjacent to the basement membrane.;
Uberon synonym : myo-epithelium of lactiferous duct; lactiferous ductal myo-epithelium; myoepithelium of lactiferous duct; mammary myoepithelium;
Uberon Structure note : The cells of this structure are specialized epithelial cells that express smooth muscle-specific
contractile and cytoskeletal properties; during lactation, MECs contract in response
to oxytocin to generate the contractile force required for milk ejection; MECs are
involved in all developmental stages of mammary gland morphogenesis, modulating proliferation
and differentiation of luminal cells; they take part in the formation of extracellular
matrix, synthesizing its components and secreting proteinases and their inhibitors;
in addition, MECs are regarded as natural cancer suppressors: they secrete suppressor
proteins limiting cancer growth, invasiveness, and neoangiogenesis; MECs are markedly
resistant to malignant transformation and they are able to suppress the transformation
of neighboring luminal cells[MP];
Origin ID : 0006954;
Automatic exact mappings (from CISMeF team)
- Uberon cross reference
the outer cell layer of the mammary gland epithelium bilayer which is located basal
to the luminal (secretory) cells and adjacent to the basement membrane.
