Pregnancy-associated alterations in DNA methylation patterns of mammary epithelial stem cells [reproductive stages]. Mus musculus

Mammary gland development and luminal differentiation occur largely postnatally during puberty and pregnancy. We found that pregnancy had the most significant effects on stem cells, inducing a distinct epigenetic state that remained stable through life. Overall design: Mammary glands were collected from different reproductive stages to purify different epithelium cell types, which were used for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.