Abstract
Our understanding of glioma biology has relied heavily on the use of cell lines and xenograft animal models. However, the recent development of transgenic mouse models offers a unique opportunity to examine the pathophysiology of these tumors in immunocompetent models in vivo. Transgenic models are highly informative for a number of reasons. First, the resulting tumors are genetically and histologically similar to human gliomas. Second, transgenic models allow the study of causality of genetic/pathway alterations reminiscent of human gliomas. Third, new therapies can be tested in established tumors to truly evaluate their potential efficacy. This review describes the available technologies involved in transgenic and knockout mouse modeling, including the generation of cell-type-specific genetic alterations. Finally, genetics are discussed with a focus on how transgenic murine gliomas recapitulate alterations found in human counterparts.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.