Project description:Preclinical lung cancer models frequently fail to predict clinical outcomes due to their limited ability to replicate the complex tumor microenvironment and metastatic processes seen in patients. In this study, we establish and characterize a clinically relevant orthotopic lung cancer model in mice, offering a substantial advancement over conventional subcutaneous models. Using thoracotomy-based injection of luciferase-expressing lung adenocarcinoma cells, we consistently generate single, well-defined nodules within the lung parenchyma that closely mimic human primary tumors. Longitudinal monitoring with bioluminescence imaging and computed tomography enables accurate spatial and volumetric assessment of tumor progression, with tumor size correlating with the initial cell dose.	
Comparative analyses demonstrate that orthotopic tumors exhibit enhanced vascularization, proliferation, and reduced hypoxic and stress markers (HIF-1α, γH2AX, p16, p21), alongside elevated Cyclin D1 expression-features reflecting a more physiologically relevant tumor environment. Importantly, orthotopic tumors display an enriched and organized immune infiltration, including enriched CD4⺠and CD8⺠T cells and dendritic cells, forming immune niches not present in subcutaneous models. 	
To model metastasis, we isolate and culture circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from orthotopic tumor-bearing mice. Intracardiac injection of these CTCs leads to organ-specific metastases (e.g., liver, brain, bone), recapitulating clinical dissemination patterns. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of metastatic sublines reveals both conserved pro-metastatic programs-including chemokine signaling, EMT, and immune evasion-and niche-specific adaptations, particularly in bone metastases.	
This orthotopic model offers enhanced translational relevance for evaluating therapies and dissecting metastatic progression in lung cancer.
Project description:To characterize the immune landscape of colorectal tumors, we analysed the immune tumor microenvironment cells from mice bearing orthotopic tumors using single cell transcriptomics.
Project description:The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of TSU68, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), on colon cancer liver metastasis and to test the hypothesis that TSU68 modulates the microenvironment in the liver before the formation of metastasis. Experiment Overall Design: The human colon cancer TK-4 was implanted orthotopically into cecal walls of 6-week-old male BALB/c nu/nu mice (Clea Japan, Tokyo, Japan). The animals were treated with TSU68 (400 mg/kg/day, twice-daily, p.o.) or vehicle from 7 days after orthotopic implantation. After one week of drug administration, livers were removed and total RNA was extracted. Experiment Overall Design: We established four different groups of mice; non-tumor-bearing and treated with vehicle alone (NT-Co), non-tumor-bearing and treated with TSU68 (NT-TSU), tumor-bearing and treated with vehicle (T-Co), and tumor-bearing and treated with TSU68 (T-TSU). NT-Co, T-Co and T-TSU group were applied to microarray analysis.
Project description:Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is mutated in >70% of these tumors, making it an attractive therapeutic target. To determine the efficacy of our newly developed mutant IDH1 inhibitor, SYC-435 (1-hydroxypyridin-2-one), we treated orthotopic glioma xenograft model (IC-BT142AOA) carrying R132H mutation and our newly established orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of recurrent anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (IC-V0914AOA) bearing R132C mutation. In addition to suppressing IDH1 mutant cell proliferation in vitro, SYC-435 (15 mg/kg, daily x 28 days) synergistically prolonged animal survival times with standard therapies (Temozolomide + fractionated radiation) mediated by reduction of H3K4/H3K9 methylation and expression of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded molecules. Furthermore, RNA-seq of the remnant tumors identified genes (MYO1F, CTC1 and BCL9) and pathways (base excision repair, TCA cycle II, sirtuin signaling, protein kinase A, eukaryotic initiation factor 2 and α-adrenergic signaling) as mediators of therapy resistance.
Project description:We treated FVBN/J mice bearing orthotopic KI tumors with vehicle or CA-4948 for two weeks and performed bulk RNASeq to assess transcriptomic changes in the tumor
Project description:Transcriptomic profiling was performed on liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, lung, and kidney tissues from athymic mice bearing orthotopic or ectopic human hepatoblastoma xenografts and healthy controls to investigate anatomical context-dependent host responses.
Project description:Metastasis is a major factor for mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, there is a need for predictive biomarker(s) for detecting the tipping point before metastasis, so as to prevent further deterioration. To discover early warning signals of pulmonary metastasis in HCC, we analysed time-series gene expression data in the spontaneous pulmonary metastasis mouse HCCLM3-RFP model with our novel dynamic network biomarker (DNB) method. To simulate tumour growth and metastasis in patient livers, we used the spontaneous pulmonary metastasis mouse model, HCCLM3-RFP, which involves the orthotopic transplanted human HCCLM3 cell line labelled with a stable fluorescent protein.We observed that, hepatic tumours in orthotopic xenograft HCCLM3-RFP mice grew gradually from the second to the fifth week after orthotopic implantation in the primary liver tissue, whereas spontaneous pulmonary metastasis occurredonly at the last time point (the fifth week after orthotopic implantation).Thus, we chose the second, third, fourth, and fifth weeks after orthotopic implantation as observation points to collect liver tumours of five orthotopic xenograft mice at each time point and to assess the whole-genome expression.
Project description:Total RNA was isolated from normal C57BL/6 mouse pancreas, PANC02-H7, and UN-KC-6141 tumors from tumor-bearing mice. The RNA was used for RNA-Seq. The gene expression profiles between normal mouse pancreas and orthotopic pancreatic tumors were compared, and differentially expressed genes were identified.