Figure 2

Loss of Bcl-3 inhibits the pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer in vivo. (a) Bcl-3 knockdown LM2 luciferase cells were injected into female nude mice through the tail vein. One group was fed normal water, the other received 2 μg/ml Dox water. Representative lungs are shown by the BLI of the indicated cell lines at the indicated days after injection. Plots show a quantification of the luminescence signal as a function of time (n=6 for normal water; n=6 for Dox water). Values are mean±standard deviation. P<0.05 (two-tailed Student’s t-test). (b) Lung metastases were counted 8 to 9 weeks after the inoculation of the indicated cells through the tail vain. Representative H&E sections and photos are shown. (c) The lungs of FVB/N-Tg (MMTV-PyVT) 634Mul/J (ID:002374) and Bcl-3 knockout MMTV-PyVT female mice were harvested at necropsy and fixed with 4% polyoxymethylene; the number of lung metastasis foci were counted (n=8 for each group). Values are mean±S.D. P<0.05 (two-tailed Student’s t-test). Representative H&E sections and photos are shown. (d) WT bone marrow cells were transferred into lethally irradiated Bcl-3-sufficient or Bcl-3-deficient MMTV-PyMT mice. The lungs were harvested at necropsy after fixation with 4% polyoxymethylene, and the lung metastasis foci were counted (n=19 for Bcl-3-sufficient MMTV-PyMT mice; n=14 for Bcl-3-deficient MMTV-PyMT mice). Values are mean±S.D. P<0.01 (two-tailed Student’s t-test). (e) Cells from primary tumors of Bcl-3-sufficient or Bcl-3-deficient MMTV-PyMT mice were injected into the mammary pad of FVB mice. Lung metastases were counted 8 weeks after injection (n=9 for Bcl-3-sufficient MMTV-PyMT mice; n=11 for Bcl-3-deficient MMTV-PyMT mice). Values are mean±S.D. P<0.01 (two-tailed Student’s t-test). (f) The survival curve for mice in (e). *P<0.05 and **P<0.01 as determined by Student’s t-test