A cell line has been derived from a human prostatic carcinoma xenograft, CWR22R. This represents one of very few available cell lines representative of this disease. The cell line is derived from a xenograft that was serially propagated in mice after castration-induced regression and relapse of the parental, androgen-dependent CWR22 xenograft. Flow cytometric and cytogenetic analysis showed that this cell line represents one hyper DNA-diploid stem line with two clonal, evolved cytogenetic sublines. The basic karyotype is close to that of the grandparent xenograft, CWR22, and is relatively simple with 50 chromosomes. In nude mice, the line forms tumors with morphology similar to that of the xenografts, and like the parental CWR22 and CWR22R xenografts, this cell line expresses prostate specific antigen. Growth is weakly stimulated by dihydroxytestosterone and lysates are immunoreactive with androgen receptor antibody by Western blot analysis. Growth is stimulated by epidermal growth factor but is not inhibited by transforming growth factor-beta1.

ABSTRACT

The combination of cDNA and tissue microarray technologies enables rapid identification of genes associated with progression of prostate cancer to the hormone-refractory state and may facilitate analysis of the role of the encoded gene products in the pathogenesis of human prostate cancer.

Aberrant crypts are putative preneoplastic lesions that have been proposed as intermediate biomarkers for colon cancer. The goals of these studies were to determine (i) if the colon cancer chemopreventive agent, sodium phytate, when started 1 week after a single dose of carcinogen, has any effect on the development of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in treated rats; and (ii) if ACF at an early time period under these conditions correlate with the later formation of tumors in similarly treated animals. The number of ACF with four or more crypts was greater (P = 0.02, Mann-Whitney test) in rats with tumors compared with rats without tumors killed at 36 weeks after the injection of azoxymethane (AOM); the total number of ACF was not significantly different in these two groups. The incidence of tumors in F344 rats treated with AOM without phytate was 83% (10/12) compared to 25% (3/12) in rats treated with AOM plus phytate (P = 0.0045, two-tail Fisher's exact test). The finding of more (P = 0.005, Mann-Whitney test) ACF with four or more crypts in rats without phytate than in rats with phytate at 12 weeks after the injection of AOM is consistent with the hypothesis that the development of larger ACF (with four or more crypts) is predictive of the tumor incidence. These results validate the use of this parameter, i.e. ACF with four or more crypts, as an intermediate biomarker for tumor incidence in this system.

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Our experience suggests that the most important factor in serial transplantation is the collaboration of urologists and pathologists in expediting placement of the tumor in cold saline, examination of the frozen section, and transplantation.