SCID mouse models to study human cancer pathogenesis and approaches to therapy potential limitations and future directions

10.2741/a758 ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. c44-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B Bankert
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Porru ◽  
Carlo Leonetti

A major issue in the research for new anticancer therapeutics is represented by the low number of new compounds approved for clinical use in comparison to the good success rate reported in preclinical studies. This high attrition rate could be attributed to many factors including the unsatisfactory predictive value of experiments performed in animals. To this purpose, general opinions suggest that classical models as murine tumors and xenografts do not mimic the complexity of human cancer diseases and that the use and integration of different relevant mouse models could improve the efficiency of the drug development process. In this review, we overview the present state of research in the field of mouse models for cancer and describe the advantages and limitations of the different models. Finally, strategies for improving the predictive value of animal experiments will be also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Yang ◽  
Stéphane Croteau ◽  
Pierre Hardy

Abstract Background HDAC9 (histone deacetylase 9) belongs to the class IIa family of histone deacetylases. This enzyme can shuttle freely between the nucleus and cytoplasm and promotes tissue-specific transcriptional regulation by interacting with histone and non-histone substrates. HDAC9 plays an essential role in diverse physiological processes including cardiac muscle development, bone formation, adipocyte differentiation and innate immunity. HDAC9 inhibition or activation is therefore a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention in several diseases. HDAC9 overexpression is also common in cancer cells, where HDAC9 alters the expression and activity of numerous relevant proteins involved in carcinogenesis. Conclusions This review summarizes the most recent discoveries regarding HDAC9 as a crucial regulator of specific physiological systems and, more importantly, highlights the diverse spectrum of HDAC9-mediated posttranslational modifications and their contributions to cancer pathogenesis. HDAC9 is a potential novel therapeutic target, and the restoration of aberrant expression patterns observed among HDAC9 target genes and their related signaling pathways may provide opportunities to the design of novel anticancer therapeutic strategies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (42) ◽  
pp. E6409-E6417 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. McFadden ◽  
Katerina Politi ◽  
Arjun Bhutkar ◽  
Frances K. Chen ◽  
Xiaoling Song ◽  
...  

Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer are increasingly being used to assess putative driver mutations identified by large-scale sequencing of human cancer genomes. To accurately interpret experiments that introduce additional mutations, an understanding of the somatic genetic profile and evolution of GEMM tumors is necessary. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing of tumors from three GEMMs of lung adenocarcinoma driven by mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mutant Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (Kras), or overexpression of MYC proto-oncogene. Tumors from EGFR- and Kras-driven models exhibited, respectively, 0.02 and 0.07 nonsynonymous mutations per megabase, a dramatically lower average mutational frequency than observed in human lung adenocarcinomas. Tumors from models driven by strong cancer drivers (mutant EGFR and Kras) harbored few mutations in known cancer genes, whereas tumors driven by MYC, a weaker initiating oncogene in the murine lung, acquired recurrent clonal oncogenic Kras mutations. In addition, although EGFR- and Kras-driven models both exhibited recurrent whole-chromosome DNA copy number alterations, the specific chromosomes altered by gain or loss were different in each model. These data demonstrate that GEMM tumors exhibit relatively simple somatic genotypes compared with human cancers of a similar type, making these autochthonous model systems useful for additive engineering approaches to assess the potential of novel mutations on tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and drug sensitivity.


2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Fenner

One of the opening lectures this Saturday of the International Congress of Genetics was held by Mario Capecchi. His talked was entitled Modeling human disease in the mouse: from cancer to neuropsychiatric disorders. In the first half he described his mouse model of synovial sarcoma. ...


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1329-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pritchard ◽  
L. Carragher ◽  
V. Aldridge ◽  
S. Giblett ◽  
H. Jin ◽  
...  

Oncogenic mutations in the BRAF gene are detected in ∼7% of human cancer samples with a particularly high frequency of mutation in malignant melanomas. Over 40 different missense BRAF mutations have been found, but the vast majority (>90%) represent a single nucleotide change resulting in a valine→glutamate mutation at residue 600 (V600EBRAF). In cells cultured in vitro, V600EBRAF is able to stimulate endogenous MEK [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinase] and ERK phosphorylation leading to an increase in cell proliferation, cell survival, transformation, tumorigenicity, invasion and vascular development. Many of these hallmarks of cancer can be reversed by treatment of cells with siRNA (small interfering RNA) to BRAF or by inhibiting MEK, indicating that BRAF and MEK are attractive therapeutic targets in cancer samples with BRAF mutations. In order to fully understand the role of oncogenic BRAF in cancer development in vivo as well as to test the in vivo efficacy of anti-BRAF or anti-MEK therapies, GEMMs (genetically engineered mouse models) have been generated in which expression of oncogenic BRaf is conditionally dependent on the Cre recombinase. The delivery/activation of the Cre recombinase can be regulated in both a temporal and spatial manner and therefore these mouse models can be used to recapitulate the somatic mutation of BRAF that occurs in different tissues in the development of human cancer. The data so far obtained following Cre-mediated activation in haemopoietic tissue and the lung indicate that V600EBRAF mutation can drive tumour initiation and that its primary effect is to induce high levels of cyclin D1-mediated cell proliferation. However, hallmarks of OIS (oncogene-induced senescence) are evident that restrain further development of the tumour.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanliang Yan ◽  
Guijie Guo ◽  
Jinzhou Huang ◽  
Ming Gao ◽  
Qian Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract Extrachromosomal circular DNA was recently found to be particularly abundant in multiple human cancer cells, although its frequency varies among different tumor types. Elevated levels of extrachromosomal circular DNA have been considered an effective biomarker of cancer pathogenesis. Multiple reports have demonstrated that the amplification of oncogenes and therapeutic resistance genes located on extrachromosomal DNA is a frequent event that drives intratumoral genetic heterogeneity and provides a potential evolutionary advantage. This review highlights the current understanding of the extrachromosomal circular DNA present in the tissues and circulation of patients with advanced cancers and provides a detailed discussion of their substantial roles in tumor regulation. Confirming the presence of cancer-related extrachromosomal circular DNA would provide a putative testing strategy for the precision diagnosis and treatment of human malignancies in clinical practice.


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