title: Real-time GFP imaging of spontaneous HT-1080 fibrosarcoma lung metastases.
abstract: Metastasis to the lung is often a lethal event in sarcoma as well as other cancers. We report here a new animal model of sarcoma enabling the external real-time fluorescence imaging of spontaneous lung metastasis. The human fibrosarcoma cell line HT-1080 was transduced with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene. HT-1080-GFP cells were injected into the right hind footpad of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. The lung metastases were evaluated by whole-body fluorescence imaging as well as direct-view imaging in live animals through a skin-flap window over the chest wall. Spontaneous lung metastases were observed on the lungs of 11 of 12 mice. SCID mice well tolerated the skin-flap procedure enabling real-time imaging of spontaneous lung metastases with a resolution of approximately 50-100 microm. This procedure enabled external imaging at the micrometastasis level. Real-time evaluation of spontaneous lung metastasis in the same animals should allow drug evaluation and mechanistic studies not previously possible.
authors.affiliation: AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, California 92111, USA.
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Katsuro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moossa
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000378:metabolism*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary*; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010957:Plasmids; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins