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Persistence of microscopic human cancers in mice: alterations in the angiogenic balance accompanies loss of tumor dormancy
Author(s) -
UDAGAWA TATURO,
FERNANDEZ ANTONIO,
ACHILLES EIKEGERT,
FOLKMAN JUDAH,
D'AMATO ROBERT J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.01-0813com
Subject(s) - dormancy , vascularity , apoptosis , cancer research , biology , phenotype , cell culture , microbiology and biotechnology , pathology , medicine , genetics , gene , botany , germination
Some human tumor lines do not form visible tumors when inoculated into immunosuppressed mice. The fate of these human tumor lines was followed by transfecting them with green fluorescence protein before inoculating them into mice. Although the tumor lines failed to grow progressively, they formed small dormant microscopic foci maintained at constant mass by balanced proliferation and apoptosis. Transfecting the cells with either VEGF 165 or activated c‐Ha‐ras induced loss of dormancy, which correlated with a shift in the angiogenic balance toward increased vascularity with reduced tumor cell apoptosis. These results support a model in which loss of dormancy is controlled in part by a switch to an angiogenic phenotype. These tumor lines may serve as models for investigating the cellular mechanisms controlling dormancy and identifying those factors that promote the loss of balanced proliferation and apoptosis. Finally, these models may prove useful in the design and testing of therapies directed toward eradicating dormant tumors and preventing tumor recurrence.—Udagawa, T., Fernandez, A., Achilles, E.‐G., Folkman, J., D'Amato, R. J. Persistence of microscopic human cancers in mice: alterations in the angiogenic balance accompanies loss of tumor dormancy. FASEB J. 16, 1361–1370 (2002)