[Transplantation of human glioma stem cells in nude mice with green fluorescent protein expression].

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the possibility of transplantation of human glioma stem cells (HGSCs) in nude mice stably expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) so as to clearly identify the incubated HGSCs from the host tissues.

METHODS

Transgenic C57BL/6J mice expressing GFP was crossed with nude mice of the line NC, then hairless male nude mice expressing GFP were crossed with hairy female pubescent mice to obtain nude mice with GFP expression the expression of GFP in the skin and organs of these nude mice were evaluated by naked eyes, and immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence assays. HGSCs were transplanted orthotopically into the caudate nuclei of nude mice expressing GFP. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the transplanted tumor.

RESULTS

The structures rich in adipose tissue of the 8th generation nude mice were dark green and the other organs were light green. However, green fluorescence was emitted from all tissues under fluorescence microscopy. Confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that the tumor cells were stained red, distinguished from the host cells distinctly in the brains bearing tumor transplanted orthotopically.

CONCLUSION

Nude mice expressing GFP can be obtained by crossing the transgenic mice bearing naive immunity with nude mice. Orthotopic transplantation of HGSCs may be used in the investigation of tumor tissue reconstitution because of the easy identification between the transplantation tumor and host tissue.