Role of α6 integrin subunit in branching morphogenesis of fetal mouse submandibular gland : investigation by mesenchyme-free epithelial culture system

The submandibular gland (SMG) of the fetal mouse is a well-studied model for the epithelial-mesenchymal interactions required for branching morphogenesis (BrM), which involves cleft formation and stalk elongation. In a previous report, we showed that α6 integrin subunit is involved in BrM of this gland rudiment, since the neutralizing antibody against α6 integrin subunit, GoH3, strongly inhibited branching of cultured intact E13 SMG. In this study, we investigated whether GoH3 inhibits cleft formation and/ or stalk elongation during BrM of cultured mesenchyme-free epithelial rudiments of fetal SMG and also analyzed by Western blotting the levels of phosphorylation of ERK1/2, which is a signaling molecule known to regulate BrM of the fetal mouse SMG.