Animal experiments are necessary for a better understanding of diseases and for developing new therapeutic strategies. The mouse (Mus musculus) is currently the most popular laboratory animal in biomedical research. Experimental procedures on animals often require anesthesia and/or analgesia to obtain adequate immobilization and to reduce stress or pain. Mice anesthesia is challenging for several reasons including the animals' size, metabolic rate, and the high risk of hypothermia and hypoglycemia. Moreover, anesthetic agents influence physiological parameters, further interfering with experimental results. Small animal imaging procedures are increasingly used in biomedical research both because the animals allow in vivo monitoring and because they are readily available for longitudinal and noninvasive studies as well as investigations into the evolution of diseases and the effects of new therapies. Anesthesia must adapt to the imaging technique, the procedure length, and the aim of the study. The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature on anesthetic protocols adopted in mice for molecular imaging studies and to report our experience.

Human glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive form of brain tumour in the adult population. Proteolytic turnover of tumour suppressors by the ubiquitin–proteasome system is a mechanism that tumour cells can adopt to sustain their growth and invasiveness. However, the identity of ubiquitin–proteasome targets and regulators in glioblastoma are still unknown. Here we report that the RING ligase praja2 ubiquitylates and degrades Mob, a core component of NDR/LATS kinase and a positive regulator of the tumour-suppressor Hippo cascade. Degradation of Mob through the ubiquitin–proteasome system attenuates the Hippo cascade and sustains glioblastoma growth in vivo. Accordingly, accumulation of praja2 during the transition from low- to high-grade glioma is associated with significant downregulation of the Hippo pathway. These findings identify praja2 as a novel upstream regulator of the Hippo cascade, linking the ubiquitin proteasome system to deregulated glioblastoma growth.

Current treatment options for triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) is limited by the absence of well-defined biomarkers, excluding a targeted therapy. Notably, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in a great proportion of TNBCs and is a negative prognostic factor. In clinical trials, however, existing EGFR inhibitors showed disappointing outcome. Oligonucleotide aptamers are a valid alternative to antibodies for diagnostic and therapeutic uses. Here, we prove that, when applied to aggressive TNBC cell lines with unique stem-like plasticity, the anti-EGFR CL4 aptamer, but not erlotinib or cetuximab, prevents the vasculogenic mimicry (VM) capability of the cells and destroys previously formed channels in three-dimensional culture. Notably, we found that CL4 impairs the matrix-induced integrin αvβ3 interaction with EGFR and integrin αvβ3-dependent cell adhesion. Consistently, the aptamer strongly inhibits VM and tumor growth in a xenograft TNBC model. These data suggest that in TNBC cells, EGFR may cooperate with integrin αvβ3 to regulate integrin binding to extracellular ligands required for VM, and EGFR-targeting by CL4 aptamer may counteract this event. Overall, we demonstrate a novel mechanism of action for CL4 related with integrin αvβ3-EGFR interaction, that may help to develop new oligonucleotide-based strategy addressing unmet need for TNBCs therapy.

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Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are shown to participate in tumor progression by establishing a favorable tumor microenvironment (TME) that promote metastasis through a cytokine networks. However, the mechanism of homing and recruitment of BM-MSCs into tumors and their potential role in malignant tissue progression is poorly understood and controversial. Here we show that BM-MSCs increase aggressiveness of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines evaluated as capability to migrate, invade and acquire stemness markers. Importantly, we demonstrate that the treatment of BM-MSCs with a nuclease-resistant RNA aptamer against platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) causes the inhibition of receptor-dependent signaling pathways thus drastically hampering BM-MSC recruitment towards TNBC cell lines and BM-MSCs trans-differentiation into carcinoma-associated fibroblast (CAF)-like cells. Moreover, in vivo molecular imaging analysis demonstrated the aptamer ability to prevent BM-MSCs homing to TNBC xenografts. Collectively, our results indicate the anti-PDGFRβ aptamer as a novel therapeutic tool to interfere with BM-MSCs attraction to TNBC providing the rationale to further explore the aptamer in more complex pre-clinical settings.

The normal growth pattern of female C57BL/6J mice, from 5 to 30 weeks of age, has been investigated in a longitudinal study. Weight, body surface area (BS), and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated in forty mice. Lean mass and fat mass, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) were monitored by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Weight and BS increased linearly (16.15 ± 0.64–27.64 ± 1.42 g; 51.13 ± 0.74–79.57 ± 2.15 cm2, P < 0.01), more markedly from 5 to 9 weeks of age (P < 0.001). BMD showed a peak at 17 weeks (0.0548 ± 0.0011 g/cm2∗ m, P < 0.01). Lean mass showed an evident gain at 9 (15.8 ± 0.8 g, P < 0.001) and 25 weeks (20.5 ± 0.3 g, P < 0.01), like fat mass from 13 to 17 weeks (2.0 ± 0.4–3.6 ± 0.7 g, P < 0.01). BMI and lean mass index (LMI) reached the highest value at 21 weeks (3.57 ± 0.02–0.284 ± 0.010 g/cm2, resp.), like fat mass index (FMI) at 17 weeks (0.057 ± 0.009 g/cm2) (P < 0.01). BMI, weight, and BS showed a moderate positive correlation (0.45–0.85) with lean mass from 5 to 21 weeks. Mixed linear models provided a good prediction for lean mass, fat mass, and BMD. This study may represent a baseline reference for a future comparison of wild-type C57BL/6J mice with models of altered growth.

Genetic modifications during development of paediatric groups 3 and 4 medulloblastoma are responsible for their highly metastatic properties and poor patient survival rates. PRUNE1 is highly expressed in metastatic medulloblastoma group 3, which is characterized by TGF-β signalling activation, c-MYC amplification, and OTX2 expression. We describe the process of activation of the PRUNE1 signalling pathway that includes its binding to NME1, TGF-β activation, OTX2 upregulation, SNAIL (SNAI1) upregulation, and PTEN inhibition. The newly identified small molecule pyrimido-pyrimidine derivative AA7.1 enhances PRUNE1 degradation, inhibits this activation network, and augments PTEN expression. Both AA7.1 and a competitive permeable peptide that impairs PRUNE1/NME1 complex formation, impair tumour growth and metastatic dissemination in orthotopic xenograft models with a metastatic medulloblastoma group 3 cell line (D425-Med cells). Using whole exome sequencing technology in metastatic medulloblastoma primary tumour cells, we also define 23 common 'non-synonymous homozygous' deleterious gene variants as part of the protein molecular network of relevance for metastatic processes. This PRUNE1/TGF-β/OTX2/PTEN axis, together with the medulloblastoma-driver mutations, is of relevance for future rational and targeted therapies for metastatic medulloblastoma group 3.10.1093/brain/awy039_video1awy039media15742053534001.

Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) is a noninvasive multimodality technique that allows high-resolution imaging in mice. It is affordable, widely available, and portable. When it is coupled to Doppler ultrasound with color and power Doppler, it can be used to quantify blood flow and to image microcirculation as well as the response of tumor blood supply to cancer therapy. Target contrast ultrasound combines ultrasound with novel molecular targeted contrast agent to assess biological processes at molecular level. UBM is useful to investigate the growth and differentiation of tumors as well as to detect early molecular expression of cancer-related biomarkers in vivo and to monitor the effects of cancer therapies. It can be also used to visualize the embryological development of mice in uterus or to examine their cardiovascular development. The availability of real-time imaging of mice anatomy allows performing aspiration procedures under ultrasound guidance as well as the microinjection of cells, viruses, or other agents into precise locations. This paper will describe some basic principles of high-resolution imaging equipment, and the most important applications in molecular and preclinical imaging in small animal research.