Predominant formation of heavily pigmented dermal melanocytomas resembling 'animal-type' melanomas in hepatocyte growth factor (C57BL/6 x C3H)F1 mice following neonatal UV irradiation

Murine models of melanoma

Melanoma is an aggressive and highly metastatic skin cancer, carrying a poor prognosis with a median survival time of 5.3-10 months depending on the stage of disease. Research has advanced our understanding of the underlying pathology of melanoma and strategies to prevent and treat melanoma. Mouse models have been developed to elucidate the molecular, immunological, and cellular mechanisms contributing to proliferation and metastasis of melanoma. This review article aims to provide an overview of various types of murine melanoma models, including xenograft and syngeneic transplantation models, genetically modified models, ultraviolent radiation models, and chemically induced models, and discuss the advantages and limitations of each model.

A murine model for the development of melanocytic nevi and their progression to melanoma

Acquired melanocytic nevi are commonly found in sun exposed and unexposed human skin, but the potential for their transformation into invasive melanoma is not clear. Therefore, a mouse model of nevus initiation and progression was developed in C3H/HeN mice using a modified chemical carcinogenesis protocol. Nevi develop due to DNA damage initiated by dimethylbenz(a) anthracene (DMBA) followed by chronic promotion with 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA). Dysplastic pigmented skin lesions appeared in 7–9 wk with 100% penetrance. Nests of melanocytic cells appeared in a subset of skin draining lymph nodes (dLN) by 25 wk, but not in age matched controls. Immunohistochemistry, real‐time PCR, and flow cytometric analyses confirmed their melanocytic origin. Transformed cells were present in a subset of nevi and dLNs, which exhibited anchorage‐independent growth, tumor development, and metastasis in nude mice. Approximately 50% of the cell lines contained H‐Ras mutations and lost tumor suppressor p16^Ink4a expression. While most studies of melanoma focus on tumor progression in transgenic mouse models where the mutations are present from birth, our model permits investigation of acquired mutations at the earliest stages of nevus initiation and promotion of nevus cell transformation. This robust nevus/melanoma model may prove useful for identifying genetic loci associated with nevus formation, novel oncogenic pathways, tumor targets for immune‐prevention, screening therapeutics, and elucidating mechanisms of immune surveillance and immune evasion. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Carcinogenesis, published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NM23 deficiency promotes metastasis in a UV radiation-induced mouse model of human melanoma

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, with 5-year survival rates of <5 % for patients presenting with metastatic disease. Mechanisms underlying metastatic spread of UVR-induced melanoma are not well understood, in part due to a paucity of animal models that accurately recapitulate the disease in its advanced forms. We have employed a transgenic mouse strain harboring a tandem deletion of the nm23-m1 and nm23-m2 genes to assess the combined contribution of these genes to suppression of melanoma metastasis. Crossing of the nm23-h1/nm23-h2 knockout in hemizygous-null form ([m1m2]^+/−) to a transgenic mouse strain (hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-overexpressing, or HGF⁺ strain) vulnerable to poorly-metastatic, UVR-induced melanomas resulted in UVR-induced melanomas with high metastatic potential. Metastasis to draining lymph nodes was seen in almost all cases of back skin melanomas, while aggressive metastasis to lung, thoracic cavity, liver and bone also occurred. Interestingly, no differences were observed in the invasive characteristics of primary melanomas of HGF⁺ and HGF⁺ × [m1m2]^+/− strains, with both exhibiting invasion into the dermis and subcutis, indicating factors other than simple invasive activity were responsible for metastasis of HGF⁺ × [m1m2]^+/− melanomas. Stable cell lines were established from the primary and metastatic melanoma lesions from these mice, with HGF⁺ × [m1m2]^+/− lines exhibiting increased single cell migration and genomic instability. These studies demonstrate for the first time in vivo a potent metastasis suppressor activity of NM23 in UVR-induced melanoma, and have provided new tools for identifying molecular mechanisms that underlie melanoma metastasis.

N-acetylcysteine protects melanocytes against oxidative stress/damage and delays onset of ultraviolet-induced melanoma in mice

PURPOSE

UV radiation is the major environmental risk factor for melanoma and a potent inducer of oxidative stress, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of several malignancies. We evaluated whether the thiol antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) could protect melanocytes from UV-induced oxidative stress/damage in vitro and from UV-induced melanoma in vivo.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

In vitro experiments used the mouse melanocyte line melan-a. For in vivo experiments, mice transgenic for hepatocyte growth factor and survivin, shown previously to develop melanoma following a single neonatal dose of UV irradiation, were given NAC (7 mg/mL; mother's drinking water) transplacentally and through nursing until 2 weeks after birth.

RESULTS

NAC (1-10 mmol/L) protected melan-a cells from several UV-induced oxidative sequelae, including production of intracellular peroxide, formation of the signature oxidative DNA lesion 8-oxoguanine, and depletion of free reduced thiols (primarily glutathione). Delivery of NAC reduced thiol depletion and blocked formation of 8-oxoguanine in mouse skin following neonatal UV treatment. Mean onset of UV-induced melanocytic tumors was significantly delayed in NAC-treated compared with control mice (21 versus 14 weeks; P = 0.0003).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data highlight the potential importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of melanoma and suggest that NAC may be useful as a chemopreventive agent.