[Establishment of xenograft mouse models to study human lung cancer by using in vivo imaging system]

We established xenograft mouse models for studying human lung cancer by using an in vivo imaging system. We first transfected pGL4.17 (luc2/neo) plasmid into human non-small lung cancer A549 cells and screened cell lines stably expressing a luciferase reporter gene with G418. Then we analyzed the correlation of luciferase activity and cells number by in vitro bioluminescence. Furthermore, we compared cell growth characteristics by cell counting. We selected suitable clones and inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice or intravenously into SCID mice to construct lung cancer xenograft models. Using an in vivo imaging system, we monitored the growth and metastasis of the tumors. Finally, we verified the extents of tumorigenesis and metastasis by tissue sections with Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining. In our study, we successfully established the xenograft mouse models for in vivo imaging with luciferase expressed lung cancer cells. These models provided convenient, sensitive, intuitive and stable tools for studying the mechanisms of lung cancer progression and development of anticancer drug.