Lymph node metastasis of oral cancer visualized in live tissue by green fluorescent protein expression.
Here, we report the establishment of a stably transfected cell line which expresses high levels of green fluorescent protein (GFP), thus permitting the detection and visualization of developing tumors and lymph node metastases after injection into nude mice. Cells of the human oral squamous carcinoma cell line (SAS-L1) were transfected with an expression vector containing a cDNA encoding humanized GFP and the neomycin resistance gene. A clone with stable high-level expression of GFP was selected in vitro using G418. To study metastasis formation, GFP-expressing cells were injected orthotopically into the tongue of nude mice. The resultant tumor growth in the tongue and micrometastases in the lymph nodes could be visualized by GFP fluorescence. Therefore a useful model has been developed for the study of oral cancer, firstly to understand the metastatic process and secondly for the evaluation of potential treatments.
Shintani
Satoru
S
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ehime University School of Medicine, 454 Shitukawa, Shigenobu-chou, Onsen-gun, Ehime 791-0295, Japan. satoru@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
Mihara
Mariko
M
Nakahara
Yuuji
Y
Aida
Tadateru
T
Tachikawa
Tetsuhiko
T
Hamakawa
Hiroyuki
H
D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins