Bioluminescent human breast cancer cell lines that permit rapid and sensitive in vivo detection of mammary tumors and multiple metastases in immune deficient mice.

Introduction: Our goal was to generate xenograft mouse models of human breast cancer based on luciferase-expressing MDA-MB-231 tumor cells that would provide rapid mammary tumor growth; produce metastasis to clinically relevant tissues such as lymph nodes, lung, and bone; and permit sensitive in vivo detection of both primary and secondary tumor sites by bioluminescent imaging.

Method: Two clonal cell sublines of human MDA-MB-231 cells that stably expressed firefly luciferase were isolated following transfection of the parental cells with luciferase cDNA. Each subline was passaged once or twice in vivo to enhance primary tumor growth and to increase metastasis.

In vivo monitoring of tumor relapse and metastasis using bioluminescent PC-3M-luc-C6 cells in murine models of human prostate cancer.

We used the bioluminescent human prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3M-luc-C6 to non-invasively monitor in vivo growth and response of tumors and metastasis before, during and after treatments. Our goal was to determine the utility of a luciferase-based prostate cancer animal model to specifically assess tumor and metastatic recurrence in vivo following chemotherapy. Bioluminescent PC-3M-luc-C6 cells, constitutively expressing luciferase, were implanted into the prostate or under the skin of mice for primary tumor assessment.

Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) to improve and refine traditional murine models of tumor growth and metastasis.

Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) permits sensitive in vivo detection and quantification of cells specifically engineered to emit visible light. Three stable human tumor cell lines engineered to express luciferase were assessed for their tumorigenicity in subcutaneous, intravenous and spontaneous metastasis models. Bioluminescent PC-3M-luc-C6 human prostate cancer cells were implanted subcutaneously into SCID-beige mice and were monitored for tumor growth and response to 5-FU and mitomycin C treatments.

Advancing animal models of neoplasia through in vivo bioluminescence imaging.

Malignant disease is the final manifestation of complex molecular and cellular events leading to uncontrolled cellular proliferation and eventually tissue destruction and metastases. While the in vitro examination of cultured tumour cells permits the molecular dissection of early pathways in tumorigenesis on cellular and subcellular levels, only interrogation of these processes within the complexity of organ systems of the living animal can reveal the full range of pathophysiological changes that occur in neoplastic disease. Such analyses require technologies that facilitate the study of biological processes in vivo, and several approaches have been developed over the last few years.

Mycobacterium avium reduces expression of costimulatory/adhesion molecules by human monocytes.

Organisms of the Mycobacterium avium complex survive the hostile environment of their host cells, the macrophages, and evade immune response, in part, by interfering with processing and presentation of antigen. We studied the effect of infection with M. avium on the expression of the costimulatory/adhesion molecules (referred to herein as accessory molecules) because generating an efficient T cell response requires both the recognition of processed antigen and the participation of accessory molecules.