Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Orthotopic Transplantation of Syngeneic Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells to Study PD-L1 Expression
Published on: January 19, 2019
Immune response in lung cancer mouse model mimics human anti-Hu reactivity
Meleeneh Kazarian1, Joaquim Calbo, Natalie Proost
1Departments of Surgery and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California/Norris Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Ave. NOR 6420, Norris Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
Abstract:
Most patients with paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis/sensory neuronopathy PEM/SN have small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and develop antibodies against neuronal-specific Hu proteins, which are abnormally expressed in the tumor. Anti-Hu reactivity is present in ~16% of SCLC patients without PEM/SN. Here we test the hypothesis that engineered SCLC-prone mice may exhibit anti-Hu reactivity. We show that tumors from SCLC-prone mice misexpress Hu proteins, and 14% of mice harbor anti-Hu antibodies. Mice appear to show reactivity prior to clinical diagnosis of SCLC. This mouse model system will be useful to study SCLC-associated autoimmunity, its diagnostic value, and the potential protective role of oncoantigen-directed autoantibodies.

