Biology Under Cover

Selected Journal & Book Covers from SBS Faculty

“A Conditional Mouse Model of Synovial Sarcoma: Insights into a Myogenic Origin”

Malay Haldar, Jeffrey D. Hancock, Cheryl M. Coffin, Stephen L. Lessnick, Mario R. Capecchi

Summary

Synovial sarcomais an aggressive soft-tissue malignancy marked by a unique t(X;18) translocation leading to expression of a chimeric SYT-SSXfusion protein. We report here a mouse model of synovial sarcoma based on conditional expression of the human SYT-SSX2. Using this model, we have identified myoblastsas a potential source of synovial sarcoma. Remarkably, within the skeletal muscle lineage, while expression of the oncoprotein in immature myoblasts leads to induction of synovial sarcoma with 100%penetrance, its expression in more differentiated cells induces myopathy without tumor induction. We also show that early widespread expression of the fusion protein disrupts normal embryogenesis, causing lethality.

Significance

Synovial sarcomais an aggressive soft-tissue malignancy marked by a unique t(X;18) translocation leading to expression of a chimeric SYT-SSXfusion protein. We report here a mouse model of synovial sarcoma based on conditional expression of the human SYT-SSX2. Using this model, we have identified myoblastsas a potential source of synovial sarcoma. Remarkably, within the skeletal muscle lineage, while expression of the oncoprotein in immature myoblasts leads to induction of synovial sarcoma with 100%penetrance, its expression in more differentiated cells induces myopathy without tumor induction. We also show that early widespread expression of the fusion protein disrupts normal embryogenesis, causing lethality.