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Updated: Oct 19, 2025
Tumor Transplantation for Assessing the Dynamics of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells in Mice
Published on: June 12, 2021
TISMO: syngeneic mouse tumor database to model tumor immunity and immunotherapy response
Zexian Zeng1,2, Cheryl J Wong1,3, Lin Yang1
1Department of Data Science, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Abstract:
Syngeneic mouse models are tumors derived from murine cancer cells engrafted on genetically identical mouse strains. They are widely used tools for studying tumor immunity and immunotherapy response in the context of a fully functional murine immune system. Large volumes of syngeneic mouse tumor expression profiles under different immunotherapy treatments have been generated, although a lack of systematic collection and analysis makes data reuse challenging. We present Tumor Immune Syngeneic MOuse (TISMO), a database with an extensive collection of syngeneic mouse model profiles with interactive visualization features. TISMO contains 605 in vitro RNA-seq samples from 49 syngeneic cancer cell lines across 23 cancer types, of which 195 underwent cytokine treatment. TISMO also includes 1518 in vivo RNA-seq samples from 68 syngeneic mouse tumor models across 19 cancer types, of which 832 were from immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) studies. We manually annotated the sample metadata, such as cell line, mouse strain, transplantation site, treatment, and response status, and uniformly processed and quality-controlled the RNA-seq data. Besides data download, TISMO provides interactive web interfaces to investigate whether specific gene expression, pathway enrichment, or immune infiltration level is associated with differential immunotherapy response. TISMO is available at http://tismo.cistrome.org.
Insights
The Tumor Immune Syngeneic MOuse (TISMO) database integrates syngeneic mouse model expression profiles for immunotherapy research. It facilitates the analysis of gene expression and immune infiltration to understand treatment responses.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Syngeneic mouse models are crucial for studying tumor immunity and immunotherapy response.
- Existing expression profile data is fragmented, hindering systematic analysis and reuse.
- A centralized, curated resource is needed to leverage these valuable datasets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the Tumor Immune Syngeneic MOuse (TISMO) database, a comprehensive resource for syngeneic mouse model expression data.
- To provide interactive tools for exploring relationships between gene expression, immune infiltration, and immunotherapy response.
- To facilitate data reuse and advance research in tumor immunology and cancer therapy.
Main Methods:
- Collected and curated RNA-seq data from 49 in vitro cancer cell lines and 68 in vivo mouse tumor models.
- Manually annotated metadata including cell line, mouse strain, treatment, and response status.
- Uniformly processed and quality-controlled all RNA-seq data, enabling standardized analysis.
Main Results:
- TISMO houses 605 in vitro and 1518 in vivo RNA-seq samples across 23 and 19 cancer types, respectively.
- Includes data from cytokine treatments and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) studies.
- Provides interactive web interfaces for investigating gene expression, pathway enrichment, and immune infiltration in relation to treatment outcomes.
Conclusions:
- TISMO offers a valuable, integrated resource for researchers studying tumor immunity and immunotherapy.
- The database and its visualization tools enable deeper insights into the mechanisms of immunotherapy response.
- Facilitates the discovery of predictive biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies.
