Emily Walter
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Monique Verhaegen
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Dermatology / Medicine
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 2 – 11am – 11:50am
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Emily Walter, Jacob Arche, Dawn Wilbert, Monique Veraegen, Andrzej Dlugosz
Presenter: 101
Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and often fatal skin cancer that carries integrated Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) DNA in approximately 80% of tumors. MCC tumors typically appear as rapidly growing pink or red dome-shaped nodules on the skin of elderly or immunosuppressed patients. We have recently developed an MCC mouse model that closely mimics the human tumor via Keratin 5-driven expression of the MCPyV transforming antigens (TAgs), small (s) TAg, and truncated large (tL) TAg, as well as the Merkel cell lineage driver ATOH1, in the absence of the tumor suppressor Trp53. To investigate the utility of mouse MCC cell lines derived from these tumor-bearing mice, we established mouse MCC cell lines in an enriched tissue culture media used for human MCC cell lines. These mouse lines grew in suspension clusters like their human counterparts. Tumorigenicity studies were carried out by injecting immunocompromised mice with 1×10^6 cells subcutaneously into the left and right flanks, from two independent mouse cell lines arising from two distinct tumors. Tumors were monitored until maximum volume was reached, whereby tissue was harvested and analyzed. Histologically, these tumors arising from distinct mouse tumor cell lines were identical to the parental mouse tumors, which closely resembled human MCC. Tumors appeared as small blue cells with scant cytoplasm and dark nuclei, with stippled neuroendocrine chromatin, and nuclear molding. Immunohistochemical staining indicated they expressed ATOH1, SOX2, ISL1, INSM1, and KRT8 in a typical dot-like pattern, characteristic of human MCC tumors. These mouse cell line-derived tumors will provide useful tools for studying underlying molecular pathways governing MCC, support progress towards targeted drug therapy and set the stage for future syngeneic allograft models relevant for immunotherapeutic studies.
Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary
