Susceptibility of Msh2-deficient mice to inflammation-associated colorectal tumors.

Patients with longstanding extensive ulcerative colitis have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). There are significant differences in the early pathogenesis of colitis-associated tumors compared with common CRC, whereas the frequency, degree, and significance of microsatellite instability (MSI) as a marker of mismatch repair deficiency in colitis tumors remain unclear. Here we describe the application of the DSS model of chronic colitis to mice with a defect in the Msh2 mismatch repair gene to discern these early events.