We present a detailed protocol to generate a murine xenograft model of venous malformation. This model is based on the subcutaneous injection of patient-derived endothelial cells containing hyper-activating TIE2 and/or PIK3CA gene mutations. Xenograft lesions closely recapitulate the histopathological features of VM patient tissue.
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Method Article
A Patient-Derived Xenograft Model for Venous Malformation
* These authors contributed equally
In This Article
Summary
Abstract
Venous malformation (VM) is a vascular anomaly that arises from impaired development of the venous network resulting in dilated and often dysfunctional veins. The purpose of this article is to carefully describe the establishment of a murine xenograft model that mimics human VM and is able to reflect patient heterogeneity. Hyper-activating non-inherited (somatic) TEK (TIE2) and PIK3CA mutations in endothelial cells (EC) have been identified as the main drivers of pathological vessel enlargement in VM. The following protocol describes the isolation, purification and expansion of patient-derived EC expressing mutant TIE2 and/or PIK3CA. These EC are injected subcutaneously into the back of immunodeficient athymic mice to generate ectatic vascular channels. Lesions generated with TIE2 or PIK3CA-mutant EC are visibly vascularized within 7‒9 days of injection and recapitulate histopathological features of VM patient tissue. This VM xenograft model provides a reliable platform to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving VM formation and expansion. In addition, this model will be instrumental for translational studies testing the efficacy of novel drug candidates in preventing the abnormal vessel enlargement seen in human VM.
Introduction
Defects in the development of the vasculature are the underlying cause of many diseases including venous malformation (VM). VM is a congenital disease characterized by abnormal morphogenesis and expansion of veins1. Important studies on VM tissue and endothelial cells (EC) have identified gain-of-function mutations in two genes: TEK, which encodes the tyrosine kinase receptor TIE2, and PIK3CA, which encodes the p110α (catalytic subunit) isoform of PI3-kinase (PI3K)2,3,4,5. These somatic mutation....
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Protocol
Patient tissue samples were obtained from participants after informed consent from the Collection and Repository of Tissue Samples and Data from Patients with Tumors and Vascular Anomalies under an approved Institutional Review Board (IRB) per institutional policies at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), Cancer and Blood Disease Institute and with approval of the Committee on Clinical Investigation. All animal procedures described below have been reviewed and approved by the CCHMC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
1. Preparation of materials and stock solutions
- Preparation of complete endothel....
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Results
This protocol describes the process of generating a murine xenograft model of VM based on the subcutaneous injection of patient-derived EC into the back of immunodeficient nude mice. Endothelial cell colonies can be harvested within 4 weeks after initial cell isolation from VM tissue or lesional blood (Figure 1A,B). The day after injection, the xenograft lesion plug covers a surface area of approximately 80‒100 mm2. In our hands, lesion plugs with TIE2/PIK3CA-mutant EC are visibly vascularized.......
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Discussion
Here, we describe a method to generate a patient-derived xenograft model of VM. This murine model presents an excellent system that allows researchers to gain a deeper understanding of pathological lumen enlargement and will be instrumental in developing more effective and targeted therapies for the treatment of VM. This can be easily adapted to investigate other types of vascular anomalies such as capillary lymphatic venous malformation16. There are several steps that are crucial for the successf.......
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Disclosures
The authors have no conflicts-of-interests to disclose.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Nora Lakes for proofreading. Research reported in this manuscript was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, under Award Number R01 HL117952 (E.B.), part of the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Materials
| Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athymic nude mice, (Foxn1-nu); 5-6 weeks, males | Envigo | 069(nu)/070(nu/+) | Subcutaneous injection |
| Biotinylated Ulex europeaus Agglutinin-I (UEA-I) | Vector Laboratories | B-1065 | Histological anlaysis |
| Bottle top filter (500 ml; 0.2 µM) | Thermo Fisher | 974106 | Cell culture |
| Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) | BSA | A7906-50MG | Cell culture; Histological analysis |
| Calcium cloride dihydrate (CaCl2.2H2O) | Sigma | C7902-500G | Cell culture |
| Caliper | Electron Microscopy Sciences | 50996491 | Lesion plug measurment |
| CD31-conjugated magnetic beads (Dynabeads) | Life Technologies | 11155D | EC separation |
| Cell strainer (100 μM) | Greiner | 542000 | Cell culture |
| Collagenase A | Roche | 10103578001 | Cell culture |
| Conical Tube; polypropylene (15 mL) | Greiner | 07 000 241 | Cell culture |
| Conical Tube; polypropylene (50 mL) | Greiner | 07 000 239 | Cell culture |
| Coplin staining jar | Ted Pella | 21029 | Histological anlaysis |
| Coverglass (50 X 22 mm) | Fisher Scientific | 12545E | Histological anlaysis |
| DAB: 3,3'Diaminobenzidine Reagent (ImmPACT DAB) | Vector Laboratories | SK-4105 | Histological anlaysis |
| Dulbecco's Modification of Eagle's Medium (DMEM) | Corning | 10-027-CV | Cell culture |
| DynaMag-2 | Life Technologies | 12321D | EC separation |
| Ear punch | VWR | 10806-286 | Subcutaneous injection |
| EDTA (0.5M, pH 8.0) | Life Technologies | 15575-020 | Histological anlaysis |
| Endothelial Cell Growth Medium-2 (EGM2) Bulletkit (basal medium and supplements) | Lonza | CC-3162 | Cell culture |
| Eosin Y (alcohol-based) | Thermo Scientific | 71211 | Histological anlaysis |
| Ethanol | Decon Labs | 2716 | Histological anlaysis |
| Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) , HyClone | GE Healthcare | SH30910.03 | Cell culture |
| Filter tip 1,250 μL | MidSci | AV1250-H | Multiple steps |
| Filter tip 20 μL | VWR | 10017-064 | Multiple steps |
| Filter tip 200 μL | VWR | 10017-068 | Multiple steps |
| Formalin buffered solution (10%) | Sigma | F04586 | Lesion plug dissection |
| Hemacytometer (INCYTO; Disposable) | SKC FILMS | DHCN015 | Cell culture |
| Hematoxylin | Vector Hematoxylin | H-3401 | Histological anlaysis |
| Human plasma fibronectin purified protein (1mg/mL) | Sigma | FC010-10MG | Cell culture |
| Hydrogen Peroxide solution (30% w/w) | Sigma | H1009 | Histological anlaysis |
| ImageJ Software | Analysis | ||
| Isoflurane, USP | Akorn Animal Health | 59399-106-01 | Subcutaneous injection |
| magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO4.7H2O) | Sigma | M1880-500G | Cell culture |
| Basement Membrane Matrix (Phenol Red-Free; LDEV-free) | Corning | 356237 | Subcutaneous injection |
| Microcentrifuge tube (1.5 mL) | VWR | 87003-294 | EC separation |
| Microscope Slide Superfrost (75mm X 25mm) | Fisher Scientific | 1255015-CS | Histological anlaysis |
| Needles, 26G x 5/8 inch Sub-Q sterile needles | Becton Dickinson (BD) | BD305115 | Subcutaneous injection |
| Normal horse serum | Vector Laboratories | S-2000 | Histological anlaysis |
| Penicillin-Streptomycin-L-Glutamine (100X) | Corning | 30-009-CI | Cell culture |
| Permanent mounting medium (VectaMount) | Vector Laboratories | H-5000 | Histological anlaysis |
| Pestle Size C, Plain | Thomas Scientific | 3431F55 | EC isolation |
| Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) | Fisher Scientific | BP3994 | Cell culture |
| Scale | VWR | 65500-202 | Subcutaneous injection |
| Serological pipettes (10 ml) | VWR | 89130-898 | Cell culture |
| Serological pipettes (5ml) | VWR | 89130-896 | Cell culture |
| Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) | Sigma | 223530 | Cell culture |
| Streptavidin, Horseradish Peroxidase, Concentrate, for IHC | Vector Laboratories | SA-5004 | Cell culture |
| Syringe (60ml) | BD Biosciences | 309653 | Cel culture |
| SYRINGE FILTER (0.2 µM) | Corning | 431219 | Cell culture |
| Syringes (1 mL with Luer Lock) | Becton Dickinson (BD) | BD-309628 | Subcutaneous injection |
| Tissue culture-treated plate (100 X 20 mm) | Greiner | 664160 | Cell culture |
| Tissue culture-treated plate (145X20 mm) | Greiner | 639160 | Cell culture |
| Tissue culture-treated plates (60 X 15) mm | Eppendorf | 30701119 | Cell culture |
| Tris-base (Trizma base) | Sigma | T6066 | Histological anlaysis |
| Trypan Blue Solution (0.4 %) | Life Technologies | 15250061 | Cell culture |
| Trypsin EDTA, 1X (0.05% Trypsin/0.53mM EDTA) | Corning | 25-052-Cl | Cell culture |
| Tween-20 | Biorad | 170-6531 | Histological anlaysis |
| Wheaton bottle | VWR | 16159-798 | Cell culture |
| Xylenes | Fisher Scientific | X3P-1GAL | Histological anlaysis |
References
- Dompmartin, A., Vikkula, M., Boon, L. M. Venous malformation: update on aetiopathogenesis, diagnosis and management. Phlebology: The Journal of Venous Disease. 25 (5), 224-235 (2010).
- Limaye, N., et al.
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