PUBLICATION

Rhabdomyosarcoma xenotransplants in zebrafish embryos

Authors

Siebert, J., Schneider, M., Reuter-Schmitt, D., Würtemberger, J., Neubüser, A., Driever, W., Hettmer, S., Kapp, F.G.

ID

ZDB-PUB-221102-3

Date

2022

Source

Pediatric blood & cancer 70(1): e30053 (Journal)

Registered Authors

Driever, Wolfgang, Kapp, Friedrich

Keywords

RMS, rhabdomyosarcoma, xenograft, zebrafish embryo

MeSH Terms

Zebrafish
Child
Humans
Rhabdomyosarcoma*/drug therapy
Rhabdomyosarcoma*/pathology
Mammals
Animals
Heterografts
Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal*/drug therapy
Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

PubMed

36317680 Full text @ Pediatr Blood Cancer

Abstract

Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcomas. High-risk and metastatic disease continues to be associated with very poor prognosis. RMS model systems that faithfully recapitulate the human disease and provide rapid, cost-efficient estimates of antitumor efficacy of candidate drugs are needed to facilitate drug development and personalized medicine approaches. Here, we present a new zebrafish-based xenotransplant model allowing for rapid and easily accessible drug screening using low numbers of viable tumor cells and relatively small amounts of water-soluble chemicals. Under optimized temperature conditions, embryonal RMS xenografts were established in zebrafish embryos at 3 h postfertilization (hpf). In proof-of-principle experiments, chemotherapy drugs with established clinical anti-RMS efficacy (vincristine, dactinomycin) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor trametinib were shown to significantly reduce the cross-sectional area of the tumors by 120 hpf. RMS xenograft models in zebrafish embryos henceforth could serve as a valuable addition to cell culture and mammalian models of RMS and represent a rapid and cost-effective solution for preclinical candidate drug testing.

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