ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by Snail transcription factor and Snailtransfected in vivo tumors with histopathological features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We induced in vivo xenografted tumorigenesis in the oral vestibules of nude mice by a Snail transfected HaCaT cell line and investigated morphological and immunohistochemical features in Snail expressive tumors. RESULTS: We identified tumor masses in 14 out of 15 nude mice in the HaCaT-Snail cell inoculation group, but no tumors were present in any of the HaCaT cell inoculation group. Induced tumors showed features of poorly differentiated carcinoma with invasion to neighboring muscles and bones. The HaCaT-Snail tumors showed decreased expressions of E-cadherin and cytokeratin, but showed increased expressions of vimentin and N-cadherin. DISCUSSION: The Snail transfected xenograft can improve productivity of malignant tumors, show various histopathological features including invasive growth, and aid in the investigation of tumor progression and the interaction with surrounding tissues.