Mouse Model Mimics Human Prostate Cancer

Cancer researchers have found that lack of one or both alleles for the Rb tumor suppressor gene in cells of the prostate glands of a genetically engineered line of mice was sufficient to trigger the development of a precancerous condition similar to the earliest stages of human prostate cancer.

Investigators at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA, USA; www.fhcrc.org) worked with a line of mice that had been genetically engineered to lack one or more alleles for the Rb gene in cells of the prostate gland while maintaining the normal genetic content in all other cells of the body.

They reported in the September 1, 2004, issue of Cancer Research that mice lacking one or both alleles developed a precancerous condition called focal hyperplasia. While this condition resembles the earliest stages of human prostate cancer, the mice failed to develop malignant cancers during an entire year of observation.

The authors believe that this mouse model will allow them to search for additional genetic factors that lead from focal hyperplasia to full-blown cancer. "We have addressed this by using a mouse system that allows us to selectively eliminate genes in the epithelial cells of the prostate. Our experimental approach allows us to closely mimic what happens in man and gives us a glimpse into the natural history of the disease that we have not had before,” explained senior author Dr. Norman Greenberg, professor of clinical research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.





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