Elevated Mcl-1 perturbs lymphopoiesis, promotes transformation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, and enhances drug resistance.

Diverse human cancers with poor prognosis, including many lymphoid and myeloid malignancies, exhibit high levels of Mcl-1. To explore the impact of Mcl-1 overexpression on the hematopoietic compartment, we have generated vavP-Mcl-1 transgenic mice. Their lymphoid and myeloid cells displayed increased resistance to a variety of cytotoxic agents. Myelopoiesis was relatively normal, but lymphopoiesis was clearly perturbed, with excess mature B and T cells accumulating. Rather than the follicular lymphomas typical of vavP-BCL-2 mice, aging vavP-Mcl-1 mice were primarily susceptible to lymphomas having the phenotype of a stem/progenitor cell (11 of 30 tumors) or pre-B cell (12 of 30 tumors). Mcl-1 overexpression dramatically accelerated Myc-driven lymphomagenesis. Most vavP-Mcl-1/ Eµ-Myc mice died around birth, and transplantation of blood from bitransgenic E18 embryos into unirradiated mice resulted in stem/progenitor cell tumors. Furthermore, lethally irradiated mice transplanted with E13 fetal liver cells from Mcl-1/Myc bitransgenic mice uniformly died of stem/progenitor cell tumors. When treated in vivo with cyclophosphamide, tumors coexpressing Mcl-1 and Myc transgenes were significantly more resistant than conventional Eµ-Myc lymphomas. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Mcl-1 overexpression renders hematopoietic cells refractory to many cytotoxic insults, perturbs lymphopoiesis and promotes malignant transformation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Optimized cryopreservation of mouse sperm based on fertilization rate.

Although procedures for in vitro fertilization with cryopreserved sperm have been published there is a lack of data indicating that the cryoprotectant and cryopreservation procedures used for those procedures were optimal. To redress this, fertilization rate of eggs exposed to sperm in vitro was used as the outcome in the optimization of raffinose concentration in the cryoprotectant (raffinose in water), volume of cryoprotectant, and freezing conditions for C57BL/6J mouse sperm. Sperm were frozen in a cylindrical Dewar with an internal diameter and height of 14.0 cm and 36.0 cm respectively. The optimal concentration of raffinose was 23-24% (510-540 mOsm/kg). The optimal volume of cryoprotectant used to prepare the sperm suspension from a single mouse was 180-400 µl, and sperm proved most fertile when frozen 13-25 mm above liquid nitrogen. Raffinose in the fertilization medium did not inhibit fertilization. Fertilized eggs transferred to oviducts of recipient mice developed into viable offspring.

Deaf-1 regulates epithelial cell proliferation and side-branching in the mammary gland.

BACKGROUND: The transcription factor DEAF-1 has been identified as a high affinity binding partner of the LIM-only protein LMO4 that plays important roles in mammary gland development and breast cancer. Here we investigated the influence of DEAF-1 on human and mouse mammary epithelial cells both in vitro and in vivo and identified a potential target gene. RESULTS: Overexpression of DEAF-1 in human breast epithelial MCF10A cells enhanced cell proliferation in the mammary acini that develop in 3D cultures. To investigate the effects of Deaf-1 on mammary gland development and oncogenesis, we generated MMTV-Deaf-1 transgenic mice. Increased ductal side-branching was observed in young virgin mammary glands, accompanied by augmented cell proliferation. In addition, the ratio of the progesterone receptor isoforms PRA and PRB, previously implicated in regulating ductal side-branching, was altered. Affymetrix gene profiling studies revealed Rac3 as a potential target gene and quantitative RT-PCR analysis confirmed that Rac3 was upregulated by Deaf-1 in immortalized mouse mammary epithelial cells. Furthermore, MMTV-Deaf-1 transgenic mammary glands were found to have elevated levels of Rac3 mRNA, suggesting that it is a bona fide target. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that overexpression of Deaf-1 enhances the proliferation of human breast epithelial cells in vitro and mouse epithelial cells in vivo. Transgenic mammary glands overexpressing Deaf-1 exhibited a modest side-branching phenotype, accompanied by an increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells and a decrease in the proportion of PRA-expressing cells. Although proliferation was enhanced in Deaf-1 transgenic mice, overexpression of this gene was not sufficient to induce the formation of mammary tumors. In addition, our studies identified Rac3, encoding a small Rho-like GTPase, as a potential target of Deaf-1 in mouse mammary epithelial cells.

T-cell lymphomas mask slower developing B-lymphoid and myeloid tumours in transgenic mice with broad haemopoietic expression of MYC.

Deregulation of MYC expression occurs in many haematological malignancies. Previous studies modelling MYC-induced lymphomagenesis in the mouse used transgenic vectors that directed MYC overexpression in a lineage-specific manner. Here, we describe a transgenic mouse strain in which constitutive MYC expression is driven broadly in haemopoiesis by a vector containing regulatory elements of the Vav gene. Healthy young VavP-MYC17 mice had multiple haemopoietic abnormalities, most notably increased size and numbers of B-lymphoid cells, monocytes and megakaryocytes. The mice rapidly developed tumours and, surprisingly, these were exclusively T-cell lymphomas, mostly of mature CD4(+) CD8(-) T cells, a tumour type that is seldom seen in mouse models. To examine tumour development in the absence of the susceptible T cells, we bred VavP-MYC17 mice lacking the Rag1 recombinase. They survived longer and succumbed to tumours of several different haemopoietic cell types: pre-T cells, pro-B cells, macrophages and unusual progenitor cells. Thus, although T-lineage cells have the shortest latent period to transformation, the VavP-MYC17 transgene drives malignant transformation of multiple cell types and VavP-MYC17 mice provide a new model for tumours of multiple haemopoietic lineages.

Gata-3 negatively regulates the tumor-initiating capacity of mammary luminal progenitor cells and targets the putative tumor suppressor caspase-14.

The transcription factor Gata-3 is a definitive marker of luminal breast cancers and a key regulator of mammary morphogenesis. Here we have explored a role for Gata-3 in tumor initiation and the underlying cellular mechanisms using a mouse model of "luminal-like" cancer. Loss of a single Gata-3 allele markedly accelerated tumor progression in mice carrying the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter-driven polyomavirus middle T antigen (MMTV-PyMT mice), while overexpression of Gata-3 curtailed tumorigenesis. Through the identification of two distinct luminal progenitor cells in the mammary gland, we demonstrate that Gata-3 haplo-insufficiency increases the tumor-initiating capacity of these progenitors but not the stem cell-enriched population. Overexpression of a conditional Gata-3 transgene in the PyMT model promoted cellular differentiation and led to reduced tumor-initiating capacity as well as diminished angiogenesis. Transcript profiling studies identified caspase-14 as a novel downstream target of Gata-3, in keeping with its roles in differentiation and tumorigenesis. A strong association was evident between GATA-3 and caspase-14 expression in preinvasive ductal carcinoma in situ samples, where GATA-3 also displayed prognostic significance. Overall, these studies identify GATA-3 as an important regulator of tumor initiation through its ability to promote the differentiation of committed luminal progenitor cells.

Inhibition of in vitro fertilizing capacity of cryopreserved mouse sperm by factors released by damaged sperm, and stimulation by glutathione.

BACKGROUND: In vitro fertilization (IVF) of eggs by frozen and thawed C57BL/6J mouse sperm is inhibited by dead sperm and enhanced by preincubation of the sperm in calcium-free medium. In other species, the presence of sperm killed by freezing and thawing has been associated with the generation of hydrogen peroxide. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The proportion of eggs fertilized by cryopreserved C57BL/6J mouse sperm was increased significantly by increasing the volume of fertilization medium in which sperm and eggs were coincubated. Enhanced fertilization occurred even though the concentration of potentially fertile sperm was decreased fivefold. This suggested that if a putative soluble factor was inhibiting fertilization, dilution of that factor, but not the sperm, should increase the fertilization rate. This was achieved by coincubation of the gametes in cell culture inserts (Transwells) that during incubation were transferred progressively to wells containing fresh fertilization medium. Fertilization rates using inserts were high (66.6+/-2.4% versus 27.3%+/-2.8% in wells alone). On the assumption that the soluble factor could be H(2)O(2), reduced glutathione was added to the fertilization medium. This enhanced fertilization rate significantly (76.6%+/-2.0% versus 21.2%+/-1.9%), while addition of oxidized glutathione did not (82.7%+/-6.5% with reduced glutathione; 44.5+/-8.8% with oxidized glutathione; 47.8%+/-12.1% with no glutathione). Positive effects of reduced glutathione on IVF were also seen with frozen 129S1, FVB, and C3H sperm, and sperm from two lines of genetically modified C57BL/6J mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: IVF in cell culture inserts and addition of glutathione to fertilization medium significantly increased the proportion of eggs fertilized by cryopreserved mouse sperm from four inbred strains, suggesting that reactive oxygen species generated during fertilization inhibit fertilization. The modified IVF techniques developed here enhance the feasibility and efficiency of using cryopreserved sperm from genetically modified lines of inbred mice.

Impaired lactation in mice expressing dominant-negative FADD in mammary epithelium.

The Fas-associated death domain (FADD/Mort1) adaptor protein was originally identified as a key mediator of apoptosis, although pleiotropic functions for FADD have also been reported. FADD-mediated tumoricidal effects have been described in breast cancer cells; however, its physiological role in normal mammary gland epithelium is not well understood. To determine the role of FADD signaling during mammary gland development, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing dominant-negative FADD (DN-FADD) in mammary epithelium, using the steroid responsive mouse mammary tumor virus promoter. Transgenic mice exhibited a perturbation in lactation resulting in impaired milk production and pup growth retardation. Reduced expansion of alveoli was evident during early lactation with extensive shedding of luminal alveolar cells. Significantly more TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridinetriphosphate nick end-labeling)-positive cells were present at this time point and a subsequent increase in bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells was observed. These findings suggest a role for FADD in maintaining the survival of mammary secretory alveolar cells after the establishment of lactation.

MYC levels govern hematopoietic tumor type and latency in transgenic mice.

Deregulated MYC expression has been implicated in the etiology of many human cancers, including hematopoietic malignancies. To explore the impact of widespread constitutive MYC expression in the hematopoietic compartment, we have used a vector containing regulatory elements of the Vav gene to generate transgenic mice. VavP-MYC mice are highly tumor-prone and the level of MYC was found to influence both the kinetics and nature of the malignancies that developed. Whereas aggressive T-cell lymphomas rapidly overwhelmed the highest-expressing line, late-onset monocytic tumors greatly predominated in 2 low-expressing lines. These monocytic tumors most likely arise from abnormal macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)-dependent progenitor cells having enhanced self-generative capacity. There appears to be a sharp threshold for MYC-induced T-cell lymphomagenesis because merely doubling the MYC level in a low-expressing line by breeding homozygous transgenic animals switched the phenotype from primarily monocytic tumors to exclusively T-cell tumors. Even the low level of MYC, however, clearly affected T-cell cycling, size, and sensitivity to apoptosis, and coexpression of a BCL2 transgene promoted efficient T-cell lymphomagenesis. The implication is that MYC level affects the spontaneous acquisition of synergistic oncogenic mutations.

Overexpression of LMO4 induces mammary hyperplasia, promotes cell invasion, and is a predictor of poor outcome in breast cancer.

The zinc finger protein LMO4 is overexpressed in a high proportion of breast carcinomas. Here, we report that overexpression of a mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Lmo4 transgene in the mouse mammary gland elicits hyperplasia and mammary intraepithelial neoplasia or adenosquamous carcinoma in two transgenic strains with a tumor latency of 13-18 months. To investigate cellular processes controlled by LMO4 and those that may be deregulated during oncogenesis, we used RNA interference. Down-regulation of LMO4 expression reduced proliferation of human breast cancer cells and increased differentiation of mouse mammary epithelial cells. Furthermore, small-interfering-RNA-transfected breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) had a reduced capacity to migrate and invade an extracellular matrix. Conversely, overexpression of LMO4 in noninvasive, immortalized human MCF10A cells promoted cell motility and invasion. Significantly, in a cohort of 159 primary breast cancers, high nuclear levels of LMO4 were an independent predictor of death from breast cancer. Together, these findings suggest that deregulation of LMO4 in breast epithelium contributes directly to breast neoplasia by altering the rate of cellular proliferation and promoting cell invasion.

Simple and efficient in vitro fertilization with cryopreserved C57BL/6J mouse sperm.

Archiving of mouse stocks by cryopreservation of sperm has great potential, because it is simple, rapid, and cheap. However, for some of the most commonly used inbred strains, including C57BL/6J, the postthaw fertility of the sperm (0%-12%) is too low to be useful without recourse to zona nicking or intracytoplasmic sperm injection to aid penetration of the zona pellucida. In the present study, nonmotile sperm and cell debris were removed from thawed suspensions of C57BL/6J mouse sperm, and the remaining, largely progressively motile sperm were used for in vitro fertilization. These sperm fertilized 38%-88% of denuded, zona-intact eggs, and when 2-cell embryos were transferred to pseudopregnant recipient mice, 40%-63% produced live-born young. The production of 2-cell embryos and the birth of live pups at these rates indicate that cryopreservation of sperm is a practical way to archive the haploid genome of genetically altered C57BL/6J mice.

VavP-Bcl2 transgenic mice develop follicular lymphoma preceded by germinal center hyperplasia.

In human follicular lymphoma the t(14; 18) chromosome translocation activates the antiapoptotic oncogene Bcl2 by linking it to the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus. Transgenic mice expressing Bcl2 controlled by an Igh enhancer (E mu) do not develop follicular lymphoma, although they do have an increased incidence of other B-lymphoid neoplasms. We have now analyzed tumorigenesis in mice bearing a Bcl2 transgene controlled by Vav gene regulatory sequences (VavP), which confer expression in multiple hematopoietic lineages. Unlike E mu-Bcl2 mice, many VavP-Bcl2 mice older than 10 months developed follicular lymphoma. Young VavP-Bcl2 mice had an overabundance of enlarged germinal centers and greatly elevated numbers of cycling B cells that had undergone IgH class switching and V-gene hypermutation. The peripheral T-cell compartment was larger in the VavP-Bcl2 mice than in E mu-Bcl2 strains and, notably, CD4 T cells were 5-fold increased over normal. The germinal center hyperplasia required CD4 T cells, because it could be abolished by anti-CD4 antibody in vivo. VavP-Bcl2 mice also had a propensity to develop kidney disease of the autoimmune type. We suggest that the increased survival capacity of B and T cells fosters prolonged germinal center reactions, and that autoreactivity and hypermutation conspire to generate follicular lymphoma.