title: Efficient RNA interference in patients' acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells amplified as xenografts in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Signaling studies in cell lines are hampered by non-physiological alterations obtained in vitro. Physiologic primary tumor cells from patients with leukemia require passaging through immune-compromised mice for amplification. The aim was to enable molecular work in patients' ALL cells by establishing siRNA transfection into cells amplified in mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We established delivering siRNA into these cells without affecting cell viability. Knockdown of single or multiple genes reduced constitutive or induced protein expression accompanied by marked signaling alterations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our novel technique allows using patient-derived tumor cells instead of cell lines for signaling studies in leukemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Center Munich - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Marchioninistr, 25, 81377 Munich, Germany. irmela.jeremias@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Höfig
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehrhardt
authors.forename: Irmela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jeremias