title: Expression of KRASG12V in Zebrafish Gills Induces Hyperplasia and CXCL8-Associated Inflammation.
abstract: The zebrafish (Danio rerio) represents an important animal model for analyzing genetic contributors to carcinogenesis. To assess the role for mutationally activated Ras in ovarian cancer, we developed a transgenic zebrafish model using the putative promoter for zebrafish insulin-like growth factor 3 (igf3) to drive expression of the human oncogene KRAS(G12V) fused to EGFP. A member of the IGF family, igf3 is unique to teleosts and reportedly exhibits gonad-specific expression in fish species. In contrast to previous studies, we observed igf3 expression in wild-type zebrafish gills in addition to gonads, indicating that igf3 expression is not necessarily gonad specific. In transgenic zebrafish, expression of EGFP-KRAS(G12V) driven by the igf3 promoter occurred only in the gills and resulted in proliferation of a putative progenitor cell population, chondroid hyperplasia, and localized inflammation. KRAS(G12V)-transformed cells in transgenic zebrafish showed activation of the ERK-MAP kinase pathway and expressed the zebrafish homologue for human CXCL8, a cytokine produced by mammalian Ras-transformed cells in tumor-associated inflammatory lesions. These findings indicate that KRAS(G12V)-transformed cells in zebrafish recruit inflammatory cells, but may require additional mutational events for neoplastic transformation. The conserved role for mutationally activated KRAS in leukocyte recruitment indicates that zebrafish can provide a valuable comparative model for Ras-associated inflammation.
authors: Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, Maryland.
authors: Heather R
authors: HR
authors: Shive
authors: Robert R
authors: RR
authors: West
authors: Lisa J
authors: LJ
authors: Embree
authors: Jamie M
authors: JM
authors: Sexton
authors: Dennis D
authors: DD
authors: Hickstein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D005260:Female; D005880:Gills / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008297:Male; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009857:Oncogenes; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000600527:Cxcl8-l1, zebrafish; D016209:Interleukin-8; C117307:KRAS protein, human; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor; D013002:Somatomedins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; C558670:insulin-like growth factor 3, zebrafish; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)