title: Experiment and observation on invasion of brain glioma in vivo.
abstract: Research on invasion and metastasis of glioma in vivo was performed by implanting C6 glioma cells transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene into the brain of SD rats. Firstly, C6 glioma cells were transfected with a plasmid vector (pEGFP-N3) containing the EGFP gene. Stable EGFP-expressing clones were isolated and examination for these cells by flow cytometry and electron microscope was done. Secondly, EGFP-expressing cells were stereotactically injected into the brain parenchyma of SD rats to establish xenotransplanted tumor. Four weeks later rats were killed and continuous brain sections were examined using fluorescence microscopy after adjacent sections were examined by immunohistochemistry or routine hematoxylin and eosin staining for the visualization and detection of tumor cell invasion. Xenotransplanted tumor was primarily cultured to determine the storage of EGFP gene in vivo. The results showed that EGFP-transfected C6 glioma cells maintained stable high-level EGFP expression in the central nervous system during their growth in vivo. EGFP fluorescence clearly demarcated the primary tumor margin and readily allowed for the visualization of distant micrometastasis and invasion on the single-cell level. Small locally invasive foci, including those immediately adjacent to the leading invasive edge of the tumor, were virtually undetectable by routine hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. These results suggested that EGFP-transfected C6 cells can be visualized by fluorescence microscopy after intracranial implantation. This model is an excellent experimental animal model in research on invasion and metastasis of brain glioma in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, PR China. xzhang@fmmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing-wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Da-kuan
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jing-wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xian-zhen
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005910:Glioma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000378:metabolism; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014162:Transfection; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins