National Cancer Institute   U.S. National Institutes of Health | www.cancer.gov
Application Logo
Model Characteristics - Model: Loss of patched (Ptch1) pre-neoplastic stage of medulloblastoma 
Model Descriptor Loss of patched (Ptch1) pre-neoplastic stage of medulloblastoma
Official Nomenclature
Genotype
Species Mouse (Mus musculus)
Strain Mixed 
Is This a Tool Strain? No
Developmental Stage
(applies only to Zebrafish)
 
Experimental Design Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. It is thought to result from the transformation of granule cell precursors (GCPs) in the developing cerebellum, but little is known about the early stages of the disease. Here, we identify a pre-neoplastic stage of medulloblastoma in patched heterozygous mice (Ptch1sup+/-/sup), a model of the human disease.  
Phenotype We show that pre-neoplastic cells are present in the majority of patched mutants, although only 16% of these mice develop tumors. Pre-neoplastic cells, like tumor cells, exhibit activation of the Sonic hedgehog pathway and constitutive proliferation. Importantly, they also lack expression of the wild-type patched allele, suggesting that loss of patched is an early event in tumorigenesis. Although pre-neoplastic cells resemble GCPs and tumor cells in many respects, they have a distinct molecular signature. Genes that mark the pre-neoplastic stage include regulators of migration, apoptosis and differentiation, processes crucial for normal development but previously unrecognized for their role in medulloblastoma. The identification and molecular characterization of pre-neoplastic cells provides insight into the early steps in medulloblastoma formation, and may yield important markers for early detection and therapy of this disease.
Website for add. info  
Breeding Notes

 

Sex Distribution of the Phenotype  
Submitted by caMOD, Curator
Principal Investigator / Lab Wechsler-Reya*, Robert J.
Comment  
 
Model Availability: This model is available from
Strain Distributor Stock number
 
Comments Comments (Please login to submit new comments)
  CONTACT US     DISCLAIMER     ACCESSIBILITY     APPLICATION SUPPORT  
National Cancer Institute Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health FirstGov.gov