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Tumor Growth, Local Invasion, Micrometastasis, and Lymph Node Metastasis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Visualized in Live Tissue by Green Fluorescent Protein Expression
Author(s) -
Itoh Akifumi,
Okumura Kazuhiko,
Abiko Yoshihiro,
Arakawa Toshiya,
Takuma Taishin,
Hosokawa Yoichiro,
Yajima Toshihiko,
Shibata Takanori
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
oral science international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.256
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1881-4204
pISSN - 1348-8643
DOI - 10.1016/s1348-8643(05)80006-0
Subject(s) - micrometastasis , green fluorescent protein , metastasis , pathology , biology , cancer research , lymph node , transfection , cell culture , tongue , lymph , cell , medicine , cancer , gene , biochemistry , genetics
We report the in vitro establishment of a highly stable green fluorescent proteinGFP‐expressing transfectant of a highly‐invasive human tongue squamous cell carcinomaHTSCCcell line, SAS‐H1. The fluorescent cells permitted the visualization of tumor growth, local invasion, micrometastasis and cervical lymph node metastasis after submucosal injection into the tongues of nude mice. SAS‐H1 cells were transfected with the pEGFP‐N1 expression vector containing the GFP and neomycin resistance genes. Stable SAS‐H1 clones expressing high levels of GFP were selected stepwise in vitro in levels of geneticinG418of up to 3,500 μ g/ml. Subsequent early stages of local invasion and micrometastasis were visualized by GFP fluorescence in a primary tumor of the tongue. Furthermore, lymph node metastasis was confirmed for all of the orthotopic transplants in mice. However, no distant metastases, including those of lung and liver, were observed. Thus, this model should be useful for studying the metastatic process and for evaluating anti‐metastasis agents in pre‐clinical trials.