Lead Inventor:
Cory Abate-Shen, Ph.D.
Prostate Cancer Marker in Mouse Cell Line:
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men after skin cancer. Thus there is a need to study prostate carcinogenesis and possible cancer treatments. Nkx3.1 is involved cancer initiation, making it a useful marker for the detection and characterization of carcinomas. Nkx3.1; Pten compound mutant mice and cells derived from these mice are useful for investigating prostate carcinogenesis. This technology provides a mouse cell line derived from the Nkx3.1; Pten compound mutant mice.
Prostate Cancer Therapies Studies in Mouse Cell Line:
Nkx3.1 homeobox gene has restricted expression in the prostate and essential roles in prostate differentiation and function. PTEN represents a frequent target of mutational inactivation in human cancers, and Pten heterozygous mutant mice develop cancers or dysplasias of multiple tissues including prostate. Loss of function of Nkx3.1 and Pten cooperate in prostate cancer progression. The synergistic activation of Akt in Nkx3.1; Pten compound mutant prostates suggests that deregulation of Akt activity is a critical event in prostate carcinogenesis, consistent with the recent observation of elevated phospho-Akt levels in human PIN. Nkx3.1; Pten compound mutant mice display an increased incidence of high-grade PIN (HGPIN)/early carcinoma lesions, which resemble early stages of human prostate carcinogenesis. The cell line derived from these mice has been used in serial tissue recombination/transplantation assays to recapitulate key features of human prostate adenocarcinomas, including invasiveness, androgen independence, and ability to metastasize.
Applications:
• The study of prostate carcinogenesis
• Characterization of prostate adenocarcinomas
• Development of potential treatments for prostate cancer
Advantages:
• This cell line provides a model system for the study of key features of human prostate adenocarcinomas
Patent Status: Copyright
Licensing Status: Copyright / Material available for Express Licensing
Nkx3.1/Pten Mutant Mouse Cell Line
Publications:
Abate-Shen, C et al. (2003) Cancer Res. 63:3886-90.