Il ruolo del gene rat8/IFITM3 nel differenziamento in vitro delle cellule mammarie

In my laboratory we developed an experimental model system, based on two cellular clones, LA7 and 106 cells, that allow us to study rat mammary differentiation in vitro. The two cell lines differ in their ability to differentiate: the LA7, but not 106 cells, spontaneously or after exposure to differentiating agents, such as DMSO, are able to develop hemispheric structures called domes. The domes recapitulate, in vitro, the morphological and functional changes that occur, in vivo, in the mammary gland at pregnancy, when alveoli are formed During my PhD project, I demonstrated that the differentiation of LA7 cells, resulting in dome formation, requires the presence of a multimeric complex on the cell surface constituted by Ifitm3-Fyn-Shc1-alfa6beta1 integrin, and caveolin1. Each member of this complex plays an important role in dome formation as even the lack of one of these members affects the differentiation pathway. I can conclude that this protein complex at the surface of LA7 cells is necessary to initiate the signal transduction cascade that controls differentiation of mammary epithelial cells