The In Vivo Selection Method in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Abstract

Metastasis is a complex event in cancer progression and causes most deaths from cancer. Repeated transplantation of metastatic cancer cells derived from transplanted murine organs can be used to select the population of highly metastatic cancer cells; this method is called as in vivo selection. The in vivo selection method and highly metastatic cancer cell lines have contributed to reveal the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis. Here, we present an overview of the methodology for the in vivo selection method. Recent comparative analysis of the transplantation methods for metastasis have revealed the divergence of metastasis gene signatures. Even cancer cells that metastasize to the same organ show various metastatic cascades and gene expression patterns by changing the transplantation method for the in vivo selection. These findings suggest that the selection of metastasis models for the study of metastasis gene signatures has the potential to influence research results. The study of novel gene signatures that are identified from novel highly metastatic cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) will be helpful for understanding the novel mechanisms of metastasis.

Aberrant accumulation of NIK promotes tumorigenicity by dysregulating post-translational modifications in breast cancer

“…Recently we established a cell line, LM05, with high tumorigenic and lung-metastatic properties from a TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231 using an OX model 14 . Interestingly, this cell line showed an different expression profile from that of another lung-metastatic cell line, LM1-2-1, established by tail vein injection (TVI) that corresponds to an ectopic xenograft model 14,15 . However, the molecular mechanisms of high tumorigenic and lung-metastatic properties of LM05 cells have not yet been studied in detail.…”

Identification of two cancer stem cell-like populations in triple-negative breast cancer xenografts

“…Breast cancer cells metastasize to multiple distant organs, such as the axillary lymph nodes, lungs, bone, liver and brain ( Nakayama et al, 2021 ; Obenauf and Massagué, 2015 ). In particular, metastasis to axillary lymph nodes is an indicator of cancer grade in breast cancer patients ( Giuliano et al, 2011 ).…”

Targeting c-Jun is a potential therapy of luminal breast cancer bone metastasis

“…MCF7-BM cells use a distinct mechanism from that of MDA-MB-231 cells to activate osteoclasts and acquire osteolytic bone metastasis. Our previous study highlighted the need for a subtype-specific study on bone metastasis of breast cancer 11 .…”