Mouse models to study natural killer cell-mediated immunosurveillance and metastatic latency

Metastatic latency is a major concern in the clinic, yet how these disseminated cancer cells survive and initiate metastases is unknown (Massagué and Obenauf, Nature 529:298–306, 2016). Here, we describe an approach to isolate latency competent cancer (LCC) cells from early stage human lung and breast carcinoma cell lines using mouse xenograft models (Malladi, Cell 165:45–60, 2016). Cancer cell lines labeled with GFP-luciferase and antibiotic selection markers were injected intracardially into athymic mice. Three months, post-injection, LCC cells were identified in situ and isolated. Upon reinjection, LCC cells retain their tumorigenic potential, enter a slow-cycling or quiescent state, and evade NK cell-mediated innate immune surveillance.