The mouse vagina consists of stratified squamous epithelium and stroma and is regulated by ovarian hormones. Vaginal epithelial cells do not stratify, but rather form a monolayer and show an inconsistent responsiveness to ovarian hormones when cultured on plastic dish or matrix. To address the discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro observations, three-dimensional (3D) coculture models are developed with clonal vaginal epithelial and stromal cell lines; stromal cells are embedded in collagen gel and epithelial cells are seeded on the gel. In the 3D models, epithelial cells express Transformation related protein 63 (Trp63) and begin to stratify when they are cocultured with two out of three stromal cell lines, but not with the other stromal cell line. Stroma may consist of various types of cells with distinct functions.

Summary Sentence

Stratification of vaginal epithelium was induced in three-dimensional models with clonal mouse vaginal epithelial and stromal cell lines.