Tracking of individual myeloma cell homing to the calvarial bone marrow using myeloma murine models

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that causes extensive osteolytic bone disease mainly in the skull. To support our understanding of MM bone disease, preclinical mouse models have been developed. C57BL/KaLwRijHsd mice develop a high frequency of monoclonal proliferative B-cell disorders. 5T33MM and 5TGM1 are the best characterized as myeloma models and used in most recent studies in this area. In this study, a combination of high-resolution confocal microscopy and two-photon video imaging was used to examine of individual myeloma cells in the calvarial bone marrow of C57BL/KaLwRijHsd mice. This study demonstrated that myeloma cells home and reside in the calvarial bone after 3 days of injection via mouse tail. In addition, this study showed a significant increase in the number of myeloma cells that colonize and home in the interparietal bone comparing to frontal and parietal bones. This study provides evidence that the micro-anatomical site in the interparietal bone may have unique characteristics to study myeloma colonization in bone and to study anti-myeloma therapies, particularly those targeting myeloma bone disease.

Keywords: Myeloma, bone microenvironment, homing, calvariae, interparietal bone.