Xenografting of normal colonic mucosa in athymic mice

Colonic mucosa was implanted subcutaneously into nude mice in order to investigate the potential use of xenografts as an in vivo model system for the study of colonic epithelial proliferation and differentiation. The xenografts were followed for 5 weeks. Proliferation was studied by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation followed by visualization of the DNA-synthesizing cells with an anti BrdU monoclonal antibody. Differentiated cells were visualized by histochemical staining of goblet- and enterochromaffin cells and of columnar cells by immunoperoxidase staining for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), secretory component, and serotonin. In different strains of mice different observations were made. Less immunocompetent strains (Balb c nu/nu, NMRI nu/nu) developed abscesses at the site of the xenograft as well as wasting disease. These phenomena almost never occurred in CD-1 nu/nu mice. The success rate was highest in CD-1 nu/nu mice. After about 1 week, only crypt base cells remained vital and started to repopulate crypts with epithelial cells showing normal colonic differentiation features such as CEA, secretory component, and serotonin immunoreactivity and mainly sulphomucin production. After longer periods of time, crypts started to form cyst-like structures due to accumulation of secretion products and dead cells. DNA-synthesizing cells were seen in the basal areas of recognizable crypts and in the cyst-like structures in a random distribution. These results indicate that normal colon mucosa xenografted into nude mice maintains its proliferative and differentiating capacity for at least 5 weeks.