Human breast cancer cell line xenografts as models of breast cancer — The immunobiologies of recipient mice and the characteristics of several tumorigenic cell lines

Abstract

The ability to maintain and study human tissues in an in vivo environment has proved to be a valuable tool in breast cancer research for several decades. The most widely studied tissues have been xenografts of established human breast cancer cell lines into athymic nude mice. Human breast tumor xenografts provide the opportunity to study various important interactions between the tumor and host tissues, including endocrinologic, immunologic, and tumor-stroma interactions. The nude mouse is not the only immune-deficient recipient system in which to study xenografts. Additional single and combined mutant strains have been used successfully, including mice homozygous for the severe combined immune deficiency mutation (scid), both the beige (bg) and nude (nu) mutations in combination (bg/nu), and mice bearing the combined bg/nu/xid mutations. The differing immunobiologies are discussed, with particular reference to the immunobiology of breast cancer, as are the characteristics of several of the more frequently utilized breast cancer xenografts and cell lines. The ability of several endocrine treatments to modulate effectors of cell mediated immunity, e.g., estrogens and antiestrogens, and the effect of site of inoculation on tumor take and metastasis, also are described.

Estrogen receptor alpha positive breast tumors and breast cancer cell lines share similarities in their transcriptome data structures

“…Cells from subconfluent monolayers were removed by trypsinization. To establish xenografts, 1x10 6 viable cells, as estimated by trypan-blue dye exclusion, were subcutaneously inoculated into the region of the mammary fat pad as previously described (2,13). Mice were 4-6 week old female, NCr nu/nu athymic mice (~20 g body weight) and were housed 4 or 5 per cage and fed sterilized, pelleted food and sterilized water ad libitum.…”

“…Human breast cancer cell lines, whether growing in vitro or in vivo as xenografts in immunedeficient rodents, are among the most widely used experimental models in breast cancer research (1)(2)(3)(4). These cell lines and their variants have been particularly useful as experimental models and enable investigators to address hypotheses in ways that would be technically difficult or ethically inappropriate in humans.…”

“…These cell lines and their variants have been particularly useful as experimental models and enable investigators to address hypotheses in ways that would be technically difficult or ethically inappropriate in humans. We and others have extensively reviewed the characteristics of selected human breast cancer cell lines, their phenotypes, and the extent to which these phenotypes reflect key components of the human disease (2)(3)(4).…”

Development and characterization of a tamoxifen-resistant breast carcinoma xenograft

“…Considering the few available OR-positive breast cancer cell lines (Clarke, 1996) we developed an in vivo model in a relatively clinically related manner. Starting from the very TAM-sensitive, ORpositive mammary carcinoma 3366, derived from a ductal invasive carcinoma of a menopausal patient (Naundorf et al, 1992), we developed a TAM-resistant subline by subsequent treatment of tumour-bearing nude mice during passaging with increasing doses of TAM.…”

Mouse models in liver cancer research: A review of current literature

“…These mice are athymic, hairless and have a deficiency of T lymphocytes as well as an impaired T and B cell function [23] . Next to nude mice, severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice are frequently used in xenograft models of HCC.…”