Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026
Three-Dimensional Bone Extracellular Matrix Model for Osteosarcoma
Published on: April 12, 2019
An EWS-FLI1-Induced Osteosarcoma Model Unveiled a Crucial Role of Impaired Osteogenic Differentiation on Osteosarcoma
Shingo Komura1, Katsunori Semi2, Fumiaki Itakura3
1Laboratory of Stem Cell Oncology, Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu 501-1194, Japan.
Abstract:
EWS-FLI1, a multi-functional fusion oncogene, is exclusively detected in Ewing sarcomas. However, previous studies reported that rare varieties of osteosarcomas also harbor EWS-ETS family fusion. Here, using the doxycycline-inducible EWS-FLI1 system, we established an EWS-FLI1-dependent osteosarcoma model from murine bone marrow stromal cells. We revealed that the withdrawal of EWS-FLI1 expression enhances the osteogenic differentiation of sarcoma cells, leading to mature bone formation. Taking advantage of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, we also show that sarcoma-derived iPSCs with cancer-related genetic abnormalities exhibited an impaired differentiation program of osteogenic lineage irrespective of the EWS-FLI1 expression. Finally, we demonstrate that EWS-FLI1 contributed to secondary sarcoma development from the sarcoma iPSCs after osteogenic differentiation. These findings demonstrate that modulating cellular differentiation is a fundamental principle of EWS-FLI1-induced osteosarcoma development. This in vitro cancer model using sarcoma iPSCs should provide a unique platform for dissecting relationships between the cancer genome and cellular differentiation.
