Isolation and Functional Analysis of Myoepithelial Cells from Adult Mouse Submandibular Glands

Salivary gland myoepithelial cells regulate salivary secretion and have been implicated in the histological diversity of salivary gland tumors. However, isolation of myoepithelial cells has been difficult owing to a lack of detailed functional analysis and cell surface markers. Therefore, we aimed to isolate myoepithelial cells from adult mouse submandibular glands using the epithelial marker EpCAM and cell adhesion factor CD49f as indicators and characterize them via sphere-forming culture. Functional analysis of specific gene expression in myoepithelial cells is possible via cell transfection experiments using the piggyBac transposon vector system. Here, we describe detailed methods and tips for the isolation and functional analysis of myoepithelial cells.