The Mouse Tumor Biology Database (MTB): a central electronic resource for locating and integrating mouse tumor pathology data.

The Mouse Tumor Biology Database (MTB) is designed to provide an electronic data storage, search, and analysis system for information on mouse models of human cancer. The MTB includes data on tumor frequency and latency, strain, germ line, and somatic genetics, pathologic notations, and photomicrographs. The MTB collects data from the primary literature, other public databases, and direct submissions from the scientific community. The MTB is a community resource that provides integrated access to mouse tumor data from different scientific research areas and facilitates integration of molecular, genetic, and pathologic data. Current status of MTB, search capabilities, data types, and future enhancements are described in this article.

Web-based access to mouse models of human cancers: the Mouse Tumor Biology (MTB) Database.

The Mouse Tumor Biology (MTB) Database serves as a curated, integrated resource for information about tumor genetics and pathology in genetically defined strains of mice (i.e., inbred, transgenic and targeted mutation strains). Sources of information for the database include the published scientific literature and direct data submissions by the scientific community. Researchers access MTB using Web-based query forms and can use the database to answer such questions as 'What tumors have been reported in transgenic mice created on a C57BL/6J background?', 'What tumors in mice are associated with mutations in the Trp53 gene?' and 'What pathology images are available for tumors of the mammary gland regardless of genetic background?'. MTB has been available on the Web since 1998 from the Mouse Genome Informatics web site (http://www.informatics.jax.org). We have recently implemented a number of enhancements to MTB including new query options, redesigned query forms and results pages for pathology and genetic data, and the addition of an electronic data submission and annotation tool for pathology data.

The potential role of the macrophage colony-stimulating factor, CSF-1, in inflammatory responses: characterization of macrophage cytokine gene expression.

In this report we report that recombinant human monocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) induces resident murine peritoneal cells (PCs) to transcribe several inflammatory cytokine genes, including interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, and granulocyte-macrophage CSF in a dose-dependent and time-related manner. Peak mRNA levels were seen between 4 and 6 h. CSF-1 did not modulate the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA. The serum content of the culture medium appeared to regulate both the extent of CSF-1-induced gene transcription and the adherence properties of the cells. Decreasing the serum concentration significantly reduced CSF-1-induced transcription and was associated with the rapid spreading of the majority of the adherent cells. This reduced sensitivity to CSF-1 was paralleled by a markedly lower levels of c-fms mRNA encoding the CSF-1 receptor. Induced gene transcription was followed by the release of large quantities of IL-6 only. IL-1 activity remained associated with the cells. Neither supernatant nor cell lysate granulocyte-macrophage CSF activity was inducible above the low levels associated with control cultures. Evidence that the mononuclear phagocytes, as opposed to B or T cells, were the targets of CSF-1 was obtained in two ways: (1) PCs from B6 scid/scid and NOD scid/scid mice consisting of 78-86% MAC-1+, F4/80+ cells and few B or T cells, as shown by flow cytometry analysis, released 5- to 10-fold more IL-6 in response to CSF-1 stimulation than B6 PCs, which contained approximately 30% double-positive cells, and (2) pretreatment of B6 PCs with antibodies to the CSF-1 receptor blocked the CSF-1-induced secretion of IL-6. These data suggest that CSF-1 primes noninflammatory mononuclear phagocytes for a role in inflammatory responses but does not provide the necessary signals for either secretion or translation of all cytokines equally.

The therapeutic efficacy of murine anti-tumor T cells: freshly isolated T cells are more therapeutic than T cells expanded in vitro.

Adoptive immunotherapy (AIT) involving transfer of tumor-sensitized T lymphocytes in combination with cyclophosphamide (CY)-injection results in the eradication of the C57BL/6J (B6) rhabdomyosarcoma, 76-9 and is associated with the accumulation of a large number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Using immune spleen cells (ISC) from B6 and congenic B6. PL. Thy-1a mice, it was shown that most (> or = 97%) of the TIL were donor-derived. This in situ increase in donor-derived T cells was confirmed by using positively-selected Thy- 1.1+ and Thy- 1.2+ TIL for AIT after isolating them from regressing tumors and expanding them in rIL-2. The extent of CD8+ TIL expansion in vivo correlated with the numbers of TIL adoptively transferred and this in turn determined the degree of anti-tumor effects. It was evident, however, that these in vitro-expanded TIL expressing mRNA for TNF alpha and IFN gamma were qualitatively different and therapeutically less efficacious than the T cells associated with ISC or with freshly-isolated TIL. Unlike freshly isolated TIL that expressed specific cytotoxicity towards the 76-9 targets in vitro, IL-2 expanded TIL killed 76-9 cells and unrelated tumor targets to the same extent. A cytotoxic CD8+ T cell line derived from ISC and selected for activity against the 76-9 tumor cells showed no therapeutic efficacy. The data suggest that, in this tumor model, expansion of CD8+ T cells in vitro selects against anti-tumor efficacy.

Changes in tumor-associated NK 1.1+ large granular lymphocyte precursors after cyclophosphamide injection: in vitro characterization and potential therapeutic application.

Large granular lymphocytes (LGLs) could be generated in vitro from tumor-associated cells (TACs) derived from the rhabdomyosarcoma, 76-9, but only after treatment of the tumor bearers with cyclophosphamide (CY). The ability to generate LGLs in vitro was dependent on the presence of high concentrations of recombinant interleukin (rIL)-2 and related to the phase of tumor regression induced by CY. Maximum yields of LGLs were obtained when TACs were derived on days 7 or 8 after CY injection. TACs derived on day 8 and grown in rIL-2 for 5 days were shown to express NK 1.1, B220, IL-2 receptor (IL-2R), Thy-1.2 and a late NK cell differentiation antigen identified by monoclonal antibody, 4H12. They did not express MAC-1, CD3, alpha/beta T cell receptor, CD4 or an early NK cell differentiation antigen identified by monoclonal antibody, 3C2. The expression of NK 1.1, B220, IL-2R, Thy-1.2 and 4H12 by TACs growing in rIL-2 was relatively stable over a 12-day period. IL-2-activated TACs were shown to lyse YAC-1 cells, the wild-type 76-9 tumor cells and two clones of the 76-9 tumor, as well as cells from an independently derived sarcoma, 77-23. Intratumor injection of IL-2-activated TACs or rIL-2 after CY injection induced a significant delay in the recurrence of tumor growth. The data suggest that the increase of IL-2-reactive cells after CY injection and their intratumor disposition may indicate a potential for in situ antitumor effects.

Electronic access to mouse tumor data: the Mouse Tumor Biology Database (MTB) project.

The Mouse Tumor Biology (MTB) Database supports the use of the mouse as a model system of hereditary and induced cancers by providing electronic access to: (i) tumor names and classifications, (ii) tumor incidence and latency data in different strains of mice, (iii) tumor pathology reports and images, (iv) information on genetic factors associated with tumors and tumor development, and (v) references (published and unpublished data). This resource has been designed to aid researchers in such areas as choosing experimental models, reviewing patterns of mutations in specific cancers, and identifying genes that are commonly mutated across a spectrum of cancers. MTB also provides hypertext links to related on-line resources and databases. MTB is accessible via the World Wide Web at http://tumor.informatics.jax.org. User support is available for MTB by Email at mgi-help@informatics.jax.org

Mouse tumor biology database (MTB): enhancements and current status.

The Mouse Tumor Biology Database (MTB) is a Web-based resource that provides access to information on tumor frequency and latency, genetics and pathology in genetically defined mice (transgenics, targeted mutations and inbred strains). MTB is designed to serve as an information resource for cancer genetics researchers who use the laboratory mouse as a model system for understanding human disease processes. Data in MTB are obtained from the primary scientific literature and direct submissions by the research community. MTB is accessible from the Mouse Genome Informatics Web site (http://www. informatics.jax.org). User support is available for MTB via Email at mgi-help@informatics.jax.org

IL-15 mediates anti-tumor effects after cyclophosphamide injection of tumor-bearing mice and enhances adoptive immunotherapy: the potential role of NK cell subpopulations.

The daily administration of IL-15 to cyclophosphamide (CY)-injected mice bearing the 76-9 rhabdomyosarcoma was shown to prolong the period of remission induced by CY. In addition, IL-15 was shown to enhance the efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy. Cytotoxicity assays using spleens from normal and tumor-bearing mice indicated that IL-15 enhanced NK cell activity but there was no evidence for class I-restricted cytolytic T cell activity. To determine whether IL-15 was likely to induce different cytotoxic effectors at the tumor site compared with the spleen, tumors were removed after CY injection and cell suspensions were incubated with IL-15 in parallel with isolated spleen cells. Both populations were seen to expand to yield predominantly cells coexpressing NK1.1 and B220 antigens. However, tumor-associated NK cells were shown to differ from expanded spleen NK cells in terms of the proportions of LGL-1+ cells and cells expressing early and late NK cell differentiation antigens. Both expanded populations expressed high NK cell cytotoxic activity but only the spleen cells expressed lymphocyte-activated killer cell activity. It was apparent that the expanded tumor-associated NK cells expressed low-level class I-restricted lytic activity. The potential of activated NK cells in the circulation to exert anti-tumor effects was shown by the adoptive transfer of expanded NK cells to tumor-bearing mice after CY injection when significant prolongation of life was seen in all cases. The data indicate that IL-15 may serve as a useful anti-cancer adjuvant by activating initially the NK cell arm of the immune network.