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Cells That Initiate A Common Infant Tumor Identified

Date:
June 10, 2008
Source:
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Summary:
Infantile hemangiomas, exemplified by the strawberry-like patches that appear on the skin of infants soon after birth, are benign tumors that develop in 5 percent of Caucasian infants, and usually disappear by the age of 9 without treatment. Researchers have now identified the cells that give rise to these tumors and used them to develop a new mouse model of this disease, which they hope to use to identify new therapeutic targets.
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Infantile hemangiomas, exemplified by the strawberry-like patches that appear on the skin of infants soon after birth, are benign tumors that develop in 5%-10% of Caucasian infants and usually disappear by the age of 9 without treatment.

Joyce Bischoff and colleagues, at Children's Hospital Boston, have now identified the cells that give rise to these tumors and used them to develop a new mouse model of this disease.

Cells expressing the protein CD133 were isolated from infantile hemangioma tissue and individual cells were grown separately in culture.

After each cell had been grown long enough for it to have given rise to a large population of cells, the cells were transplanted into immunodeficient mice, where they generated human blood vessels.

Overtime, the number of blood vessels decreased and fat cells became evident. As these observations recapitulate those made in individuals with infantile hemangioma -- where blood vessels form and then disappear leaving behind fat cells -- the authors conclude that a single cell can give rise to infantile hemangioma and that their new model of these tumors will help identify therapeutic targets.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Joyce Bischoff et al. Multipotential stem cells recapitulate human infantile hemangioma in immunodeficient mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation, June 5, 2008

Cite This Page:

Journal of Clinical Investigation. "Cells That Initiate A Common Infant Tumor Identified." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 June 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605181212.htm>.
Journal of Clinical Investigation. (2008, June 10). Cells That Initiate A Common Infant Tumor Identified. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605181212.htm
Journal of Clinical Investigation. "Cells That Initiate A Common Infant Tumor Identified." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605181212.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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