Dll1 Marks Cells of Origin of Ras-Induced Cancer in Mouse Squamous Epithelia
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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Multi-photon Imaging of Tumor Cell Invasion in an Orthotopic Mouse Model of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: July 25, 2011
Eleni Vasilaki1, Zoi Kanaki2, Dimitrios J Stravopodis3
1Center of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; Section of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece.
Abstract:
The Notch signaling pathway has been implicated in homeostasis and disease, including cancer, in various tissues. Moreover, it has been involved both in stem cell maintenance and differentiation, in a context-dependent manner. Stem/progenitor cells, on the other hand, have long been suspected to be the cells of origin in various malignancies. In order to gain insight in the role of the Notch ligand Dll1 in mouse development, we generated a knock-in line expressing an inducible Cre recombinase. We have employed in vivo approaches in mice to genetically mark rare subpopulations of cells expressing Dll1 in various adult tissues. Moreover, we conditionally expressed a constitutively active Ras oncoprotein in these cells and showed that within days, mice develop squamous neoplasias in the skin, as well as in the stomach.
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