title: VEGF blockade decelerates the growth of a murine experimental osteosarcoma.
abstract: Retrovirus-mediated sFlt-1 gene modification was performed to examine the influence of VEGF in controlling the growth of an experimental osteosarcoma in mice. Human osteosarcoma G-292 cells were in vitro infected with retroviral vectors encoding soluble Flt-1 or LacZ gene before transplanted into proximal tibiae of immune deficient SCID mice to establish experimental orthotopic osteosarcoma. Daily observation and biweekly microCT were performed to monitor tumor development and progression till sacrifice at 8 weeks after tumor cell inoculation for histological and molecular analyses. Successful transgene expression was confirmed in the culture media of sFlt-1 transduced G-292 cells using ELISA, and with positive X-gal staining of the LacZ transduced cells. Noteworthy tumors were grown in all mice on the tibiae receiving G-292 cell inoculation, with clear detection on microCT images starting 2 weeks after inoculation. Over the time period, tumors derived from sFlt-1 transduced G-292 cells were distinctively smaller in size when compared to the ones from wide-type G-292 and G-292-LacZ cells. Histology showed typical osteosarcoma characteristics including severe cellular pleomorphism, bone erosions, and neo-vascularization. Real-time polymerase chain reaction indicated significantly higher sFlt-1 expression in sFlt-1 transduced groups than the wild-type G-292 or LacZ-treated groups. Strong expression of oncogenes c-myc and c-fos were also obvious, along with the expression of VEGF in the primary tumor tissue. Overall, data suggest that retrovirus-mediated sFLT-1 gene modification decelerates the osteosarcoma tumor growth in this murine model.
authors.affiliation: Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250010, PR China.
authors.forename: Dezhen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Tanghong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Weiming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Haiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Wooley
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mott
authors.forename: Shang-You
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D012190:Retroviridae; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D019076:Transgenes; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1