Epithelial tubular architecture formed by a sheet of epithelial cells is the basis of the formation and the functioning of a variety of organs. Further, defect in such structure correlates with of diseases such as cancer. Recent studies have revealed a variety of signaling pathways regulating cellular functions such as growth and apoptosis. Recent studies are also revealing the pivotal importance of the mechanism regulating cell polarity in a variety of physiological and pathological contexts, suggesting the importance of the polarity-related proteins. Other lines of studies are revealing the hierarchical nature of the cells forming normal and cancer tissues and the markers for their stem/progenitor cells.

We employ the mammary gland as a model, and aim to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing the formation and the maintenance of epithelial architecture. Our strategy involves the isolation stem/progenitor cells from mouse mammary gland. After genetic manipulation of a candidate gene, we evaluate their ability to form tissues in vivo and spheres or colonies in vitro. Specifically, we focus on the candidate genes that may link the polarity and cell fates.

These strategies will not only explore the signaling pathways that regulate the formation and maintenance of normal mammary tissue but also provide a rational for the understanding of the mammary cancer.