A mouse model of prostate cancer bone metastasis in a syngeneic immunocompetent host

Abstract

We report the establishment of B6CaP, an allograft tumor line from a Hi-Myc transgenic mouse that had been backcrossed onto C57BL/6J background. This tumor line grows subcutaneously in wildtype C57BL/6J immunocompetent mice, expresses AR, and has a luminal cytokeratin profile. When digested into single cells and injected via intracardiac injection, B6CaP produces metastatic widespread metastases including frequent bone lesions. Metastatic lesions occur most often in the femur, spine, and skull, and have a mixed osteolytic/osteoblastic phenotype. B6CaP allografts are androgen dependent, and regress after castration. However, castration resistant tumors regrow after 4–6 months and can be maintained as androgen-independent clones. This is the first example of a prostate-derived tumor line that shows frequent metastasis to bone and grows in an immunocompetent host, making this model useful for studying mechanisms of bone metastasis and tumor immune response.