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Decreased metastatic spread in mice homozygous for a null allele of the cystatin C protease inhibitor gene

Huh, C ; Håkansson, Katarina LU ; Nathanson, Carl-Michael LU ; Thorgeirsson, UP ; Jonsson, N ; Grubb, Anders LU orcid ; Abrahamson, Magnus LU and Karlsson, S (1999) In Molecular Pathology 52(6). p.332-340
Abstract
AIMS: Increased or altered activities of cysteine proteases have been implicated in serious human disorders such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and osteoporosis. To improve the current knowledge of the regulatory role of a major mammalian cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin C, in such disease processes, a cystatin C deficient mouse was generated and characterized. METHODS: The mouse cystatin C gene was inactivated by insertion of a bacterial neo gene through homologous recombination in 129/Sv embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell clones were injected into C57BL/6J blastocysts followed by injection of the blastocysts into pseudopregnant female mice. F1 offspring with agouti coat colour after mating of chimaeric males with... (More)
AIMS: Increased or altered activities of cysteine proteases have been implicated in serious human disorders such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and osteoporosis. To improve the current knowledge of the regulatory role of a major mammalian cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin C, in such disease processes, a cystatin C deficient mouse was generated and characterized. METHODS: The mouse cystatin C gene was inactivated by insertion of a bacterial neo gene through homologous recombination in 129/Sv embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell clones were injected into C57BL/6J blastocysts followed by injection of the blastocysts into pseudopregnant female mice. F1 offspring with agouti coat colour after mating of chimaeric males with C57BL/6J females were examined by DNA analysis, and mice carrying the targeted mutation were intercrossed to obtain homozygous cystatin C deficient (CysC-/-) mice. To study the role of cysteine proteases and their inhibitors in metastasis, the spread of B16-F10 melanoma cells in CysC-/- and wild-type mice was compared. Analysis of the formation of remote metastases was carried out by intravenous injection of beta-galactosidase transfected B16-F10 cells and subsequent determination of cancer cell colonies in the lungs. RESULTS: Cystatin C deficient mice were fertile and showed no gross pathological abnormality up to 6 months of age. Compared with wild-type mice, seven times fewer large metastatic colonies were counted by means of a dissecting microscope in CysC-/- mice two weeks after tail vein injection of B16-F10 cells. At all of eight time points from 15 minutes to two weeks after intravenous injection of tumour cells, the CysC-/- mice had significantly fewer lung metastases. The observed differences were smaller when beta-galactosidase transfected cells were used to allow counting of small colonies. Subcutaneous and intracerebral tumour growth was not different in the CysC-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C concentrations in vivo might influence metastasis in some tissues. The decreased metastatic spread of B16-F10 cells in CysC-/- mice is the result of both reduced seeding and reduced growth of tumour cells in their lungs. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cystatin C, cysteine protease inhibitor, knockout mouse, metastasis
in
Molecular Pathology
volume
52
issue
6
pages
332 - 340
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:0033435169
ISSN
1366-8714
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c3b0bb6d-2d7f-4020-9b08-ab2b483cc1da (old id 1115935)
alternative location
http://mp.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/52/6/332
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:36:09
date last changed
2023-01-04 18:09:46
@article{c3b0bb6d-2d7f-4020-9b08-ab2b483cc1da,
  abstract     = {{AIMS: Increased or altered activities of cysteine proteases have been implicated in serious human disorders such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and osteoporosis. To improve the current knowledge of the regulatory role of a major mammalian cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin C, in such disease processes, a cystatin C deficient mouse was generated and characterized. METHODS: The mouse cystatin C gene was inactivated by insertion of a bacterial neo gene through homologous recombination in 129/Sv embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell clones were injected into C57BL/6J blastocysts followed by injection of the blastocysts into pseudopregnant female mice. F1 offspring with agouti coat colour after mating of chimaeric males with C57BL/6J females were examined by DNA analysis, and mice carrying the targeted mutation were intercrossed to obtain homozygous cystatin C deficient (CysC-/-) mice. To study the role of cysteine proteases and their inhibitors in metastasis, the spread of B16-F10 melanoma cells in CysC-/- and wild-type mice was compared. Analysis of the formation of remote metastases was carried out by intravenous injection of beta-galactosidase transfected B16-F10 cells and subsequent determination of cancer cell colonies in the lungs. RESULTS: Cystatin C deficient mice were fertile and showed no gross pathological abnormality up to 6 months of age. Compared with wild-type mice, seven times fewer large metastatic colonies were counted by means of a dissecting microscope in CysC-/- mice two weeks after tail vein injection of B16-F10 cells. At all of eight time points from 15 minutes to two weeks after intravenous injection of tumour cells, the CysC-/- mice had significantly fewer lung metastases. The observed differences were smaller when beta-galactosidase transfected cells were used to allow counting of small colonies. Subcutaneous and intracerebral tumour growth was not different in the CysC-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C concentrations in vivo might influence metastasis in some tissues. The decreased metastatic spread of B16-F10 cells in CysC-/- mice is the result of both reduced seeding and reduced growth of tumour cells in their lungs.}},
  author       = {{Huh, C and Håkansson, Katarina and Nathanson, Carl-Michael and Thorgeirsson, UP and Jonsson, N and Grubb, Anders and Abrahamson, Magnus and Karlsson, S}},
  issn         = {{1366-8714}},
  keywords     = {{cystatin C; cysteine protease inhibitor; knockout mouse; metastasis}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{332--340}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Molecular Pathology}},
  title        = {{Decreased metastatic spread in mice homozygous for a null allele of the cystatin C protease inhibitor gene}},
  url          = {{http://mp.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/52/6/332}},
  volume       = {{52}},
  year         = {{1999}},
}