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Methods for Preparing Fluorescent and Neutral Red-Stained Whole Mounts of Mouse Mammary Glands

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Abstract

Whole mount preparations of mouse mammary glands are useful for evaluating overall changes in growth and morphology, and are essential for detecting and evaluating focal or regionally-localized phenotypes that would be difficult to detect or analyze using other techniques. We present three newly developed methods for preparing whole mounts of mammary glands from genetically-engineered mice expressing fluorescent proteins, as well as using either neutral red or a variety of fluorescent dyes. Unlike traditional hematoxylin- or carmine-stained preparations, neutral red-stained and some fluorescent preparations can be used for several common downstream analyses.

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Abbreviations

CFSE:

carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester

DAPI:

4’,6-diamidino-2-phenyl-indole

ECFP:

enhanced cyan fluorescent protein

EGFP:

enhanced green fluorescent protein

PBS:

phosphate-buffered saline

PFA:

paraformaldehyde

RFP:

red fluorescent protein

YFP:

yellow fluorescent protein

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM600; Room N1210, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    John D. Landua, Adriana P. Visbal & Michael T. Lewis

Authors
  1. John D. Landua
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  2. Adriana P. Visbal
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  3. Michael T. Lewis
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Correspondence to Michael T. Lewis.

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Landua, J.D., Visbal, A.P. & Lewis, M.T. Methods for Preparing Fluorescent and Neutral Red-Stained Whole Mounts of Mouse Mammary Glands. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 14, 411–415 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-009-9155-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-009-9155-3

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