Study of the primo vascular system utilizing a melanoma tumor model in a green fluorescence protein expressing mouse.

A melanoma tumor is a representative malignant tumor. Melanoma tumor growth involves vigorous angiogenesis around the tumor and a vasculogenic-like network inside an aggressive tumor. Primo vessels (PVs) are also found on the surface of the tumor and coexist alongside blood vessels (BVs), and sometimes within the BVs. We hypothesized that the primo vessels system plays a significant role in regulating the development of a melanoma tumor, and therefore has a tight coupling with BVs and angiogenesis. To prove this hypothesis, we developed a murine melanoma model by inoculating melanoma cell lines into the abdominal region. We used a green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing mouse as a host to distinguish the endogenous source of the tumor PVs. We found strong formation of PVs on the tumor that coexisted with BVs and expression of GFP. PVs also had a tight coupling with adipose tissues, especially with white adipose tissue. These data suggest that the PVs of an induced melanoma tumor evolve endogenously from the host body and may be highly related to BVs and adipose tissue. This model of PVs in an overexpressing GFP mouse is a useful system for observing PVs, primo nodes, and primo vessel networks, and has potential to be developed as a model for examining novel treatments for cancer metastasis.