Promotion of seminomatous tumors by targeted overexpression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in mouse testis.

Meng, X; de Rooij, D G; Westerdahl, K; Saarma, M; Sariola, H · Cancer Res · 2001

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We show with transgenic mice that targeted overexpression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in undifferentiated spermatogonia promotes malignant testicular tumors, which express germ-cell markers. The tumors are invasive and contain aneuploid cells, but no distant metastases have been found. By several histological, molecular, and histochemical characteristics, the GDNF-induced tumors mimic classic seminomas in men, representing a useful experimental model for testicular germ-cell tumors. The data also show that a deregulated stimulation of a normal proto-oncogene by its ligand can be an initiative event in carcinogenesis.

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