In vivo adenovirus-mediated gene transduction into mouse endometrial glands: a novel tool to model endometrial cancer in the mouse.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The lack of an endometrial epithelium-specific promoter has slowed down the development of technically advanced mouse models of endometrial cancer. The aim of this study was to test whether direct in vivo adenoviral-mediated gene delivery can be used to circumvent this problem. METHODS: Adenoviruses expressing the LacZ reporter gene or the Cre recombinase were injected into the left horn of the mouse uterus. Histochemistry and immunohistochemistry were used to detect expression of the reporter gene as well as targeted deletion of a floxed allele. RESULTS: Our data demonstrate that in vivo direct injection of adenoviruses can efficiently target the endometrium in the mouse, specifically transducing genes to the glandular epithelial component. CONCLUSIONS: This approach will allow the generation of more refined and genetically defined mouse models of endometrial cancer. Endometrial gland-specific transient expression of recombinases, such as Cre, may thus be employed to delete engineered alleles of tumor suppressor genes and to activate the expression of latent oncogenes.