Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of β-arrestin1 overexpression on tumor progression in a NCG mouse model bearing T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL) Molt-4 cell xenograft. METHODS: Molt-4 cells were tagged with firefly-luciferase (F-Luc) by lentiviral infection, and fluorescence intensity of the cells was detected using a luminescence detector. Molt-4 cell lines with β-arrestin1 overexpression or knockdown were constructed by lentivirus infection and injected via the tail vein in sub-lethal irradiated NCG mice. Body weight changes and survival time of the xenografted mice were observed, and the progression of T-ALL in the mice was evaluated using an in vivo fluorescence imaging system. Sixteen days after xenografting, the mice were euthanatized and tumor cell infiltration was observed in the slices of the liver and spleen. RESULTS: We successfully tagged Molt-4 cells with F-Luc and overexpressed or knocked down β-arrestin1 in the tagged cells. Bioluminescent imaging showed obvious luminescence catalyzed by F-Luc in Molt-4 cells. After injection of Molt-4-Luc cells into irradiated NCG mice, a gradual enhancement of luminescence in the xenografted mice was observed over time, while the body weight of the mice decreased. Compared with the control mice, the mice xenografted with β-arrestin1-overexpressing Molt-4 cells had significantly prolonged survival time (P < 0.001), while the survival time of the mice xenografted with Molt-4 cells with β- arrestin1 knockdown was significantly shortened (P < 0.001). Histological examination revealed fewer infiltrating tumor cells in the liver and spleen of the mice xenografted with β-arrestin1-overexpressing Molt-4 cells in comparison with the mice bearing parental Molt-4 cell xenografts. CONCLUSIONS: β-arrestin1 overexpression suppresses tumor progression in mice bearing Molt-4 cell xenograft.