Of mice and men: teratomas and teratocarcinomas

Bulić-Jakuš, Floriana and Ulamec, Monika and Vlahović, Maja and Sinčić, Nino and Katušić, Ana and Jurić-Lekić, Gordana and Šerman, Ljiljana and Krušlin, Božo and Belicza, Mladen (2006) Of mice and men: teratomas and teratocarcinomas. Collegium Antropologicum, 30 (4). pp. 921-924. ISSN 0350-6134

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Abstract

Teratomas and teratocarcinomas are tumors containing tissue derivatives of all three germ-layers. They can be induced by transplantation of animal embryos to ectopic microenvironment. Development of malignant teratocarcinomas depends on embryonic stage, species-specificity and immunological competence of the host. In the man, teratomas and teratocarcinomas usually represent a subtype of germ-cell tumors but sacrococcygeal teratomas arise from the remnants of the pluripotent primitive streak. Undifferentiated embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells are responsible for the malignancy of experimental mouse teratocarcinomas. Mouse EC cells injected to the adult give rise to tumors and upon injection to early embryos to differentiated tissues--thus resembling normal mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC). Epigenetic changes rather than mutations are associated with transformation of mESC to EC cells. Human EC and ES cell-lines (hESC) contain chromosomal abnormalities and can form teratocarcinoma after transplantation. ES cells are among those proposed for cell replacement therapy in the man. Suicide gene introduction should be recommended prior to their use in vivo to ablate them in case of malignant transformation.

Abstract in Croatian

Teratomi i teratokarcinomi su tumori koji se sastoje od tkivnih derivata svih triju zametnih listića. Moguće ih je inducirati transplantacijom animalnih zametaka u ektopični mikrookoliš. Razvoj malignog teratokarcinoma ovisi o stadiju razvoja zametka, species-specifičnosti te imunološkoj kompetenciji domaćina. U čovjeka, teratomi i teratokarcinomi obično predstavljaju podtipove tumora spolnih stanica, ali sacrococcygealni teratom nastaje iz zaostataka pluripotentne primitivne pruge. Nediferencirane stanice embrionalnog karcinoma (EC) odgovorne su za malignost eksperimentalnog mišjeg teratokarcinoma. Mišje EC stanice injicirane odraslom stvaraju tumore, a injicirane u rane zametke diferencirana tkiva te stoga nalikuju normalnim mišjim matičnim stanicama zametka (mESC). Epigenetske promjene, prije nego li mutacije, povezane su s transformacijom mESC u EC stanice. Ljudske EC i ES stanične linije (hESC) sadrže kromosomske aberacije i mogu formirati teratokarcinom nakon transplantacije. ES stanice su među stanicama predloženim za staničnu nadomjesnu terapiju čovjeka. Trebalo bi preporučiti da se u njih unesu samoubilački geni prije upotrebe in vivo, kako bi se mogle odstraniti u slučaju maligne transformacije.

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