Supermouse 2

Greenwood, Emma

doi:10.1038/nrc1111

Research Highlight
Published: 01 June 2003

Immune response

Supermouse 2

Emma Greenwood

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 3, page 399 (2003)Cite this article

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In examining the response to intraperitoneal injection of S180 cells — which results in ascites fluid, metastasis and death within 3–4 weeks — the authors discovered a male mouse that was resistant to ascites formation. When bred with S180-sensitive mice, ∼40% of the F1 progeny and later generations were also resistant, indicating that the trait was dominant to the wild type and only one locus is thought to be responsible. This was independent of sex, so the trait is presumably located on an autosome.

Interestingly, the response does vary according to age. Mice that are 6 weeks old on first injection of S180 cells are completely resistant to ascites formation; however, as mice age, their response changes from resistance to regression. If the mice are 22 weeks old on first injection, almost all have switched to a regression response — ascites fluid develops over the first two weeks, but then disappears within 24 hours. This indicates that the anticancer mechanism takes a longer time before it is engaged in older animals, but once it has been engaged, mice become completely resistant to tumour formation.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

Cui, Z. et al. Spontaneous regression of advanced cancer: identification of a unique genetically determined, age-dependent trait in mice. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA early edition 30 April 2003 (doi:10.1073/pnas.1031601100)

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