Contemporary approaches to the study of salivary gland morphogenesis.

The submandibular gland of the mouse and rat serves as an important model to study epitheliomesenchymal interactions, since it can be studied both in vivo and in vitro. Previous work has established that the extracellular matrix, and especially the basal lamina, play vital roles in the development of this gland. More recent studies have indicated that integrins and several oncogene-related products, including components of the epidermal growth factor system, also play important roles in this gland's development.