Imaging of bioluminescent LNCaP‐luc‐M6 Tumors: A new animal model for the study of metastatic human prostate cancer

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Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal experiments examining hormone‐sensitive metastatic prostate cancer using the human LNCaP cell line have been limited to endpoint analyses. To permit longitudinal studies, we generated a luciferase‐expressing cell line and used bioluminescent imaging (BLI) to non‐invasively monitor the in vivo growth of primary LNCaP tumors and metastasis. METHODS LNCaP.FGC cells were transfected to constitutively express firefly luciferase. LNCaP‐luc‐M6 cells were tested for bioluminescent signal intensity and hormone responsiveness in vitro. The cells were implanted in subcutaneous and orthotopic sites in SCID‐bg mice and imaged over time. RESULTS The LNCaP‐luc‐M6 cells formed subcutaneous and orthotopic tumors in SCID‐bg mice, and nearly all tumor‐bearing animals developed pulmonary metastases. Early detection and temporal growth of primary tumors and metastatic lesions was successfully monitored by BLI. CONCLUSIONS The LNCaP‐luc‐M6 cell line is a bioluminescent, hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer cell line applicable for BLI studies to non‐invasively monitor subcutaneous and orthotopic prostate tumor growth and metastasis in vivo.