Most deaths from colorectal cancer (CRC) are associated with metastatic disease. However, visible metastases rarely form in mouse models of CRC that are generated by injection of human CRC cell lines into the caecum (orthotopic injection). Here, Alamo et al. show that subcutaneous preconditioning increases invasion and metastatic dissemination in mouse CRC models. Implantation of HCT116 or SW48 human CRC cells below the skin of immunodeficient mice prior to their orthotopic injection into the caecum generates models with enhanced metastatic efficiency in the lymph nodes, lung, liver and peritoneum, they report. Most notably, in the HCT116 model, subcutaneous preconditioning generates visible liver metastases that compromise survival. These findings suggest that in vivo models of CRC (and probably other cancers) generated using this new approach could facilitate the elucidation of the mechanisms of metastasis and the evaluation of anti-metastatic drugs. Page 387
Development/DMM Virtual Meeting 2021
Welcoming new Editors to DMM
Editor-in-Chief Liz Patton wants DMM to strengthen its presence in the field of translational biology and to focus on the importance of disease mechanisms, just as much as models. To implement this vision, we are pleased to welcome new Editors Sally Dunwoodie (Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Australia), Monkol Lek (Yale School of Medicine, USA) and Rickie Patani (Francis Crick Institute, London, UK) to the team.
Roles of the gut microbiome in colorectal cancer development
Going hand-in-hand, a new Perspective by Foegeding et al. explores the Western diet as a driver of dysbiosis in colorectal cancer while a new Review by Wang et al. focuses on microbiota-driven mechanisms that initiate sporadic colorectal cancer.
preLights – the latest disease modelling preprints
Head over to preLights for the digests of the latest preprints:
Erin McGregor highlights work by Nowicka et al. that suggests a potential connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration.
Emma Wilson discusses work by Dagra et al., which highlights D2 receptors as a potential target that could be used to alleviate alpha-Synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease.
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