INNOVATION:  Scientists at UCLA have developed a transgenic mouse that allows for the direct imaging of the mouse prostate without invasive surgery. By placing a reporter gene under the control of an androgen-specific promoter the transgenic mouse over-expresses the reporter gene specifically in the prostate of the mouse. Thus reporter levels serve as an in situ indicator of androgen-mediated activation of the AR. Detection of the reporter is achieved through the use of commercially available devices. These mice can also be crossed with the c-Myc mouse model of prostate cancer (UC case No. 2002-135), allowing scientists to follow the progression of prostate cancer. This powerful tool can be used to test for pharmacological inhibitors of the androgen receptor as well as the progression of prostate cancer.

ADVANTAGES 

• The activity of the androgen receptor can be easily quantified.
• Changes in the reporter signal can be easily measured in situ.
• The reporter signal can be measured multiple times over a 24-48 hour period without sacrificing the animal.
• The transgenic mouse can be crossed with other transgenic mouse models.
• The reporter signal can be measured in real-time.
• The prostate-specific transgenic mice are more functional than reporter-expressing cell lines.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS 

• Pharmacological inhibitors of AR can be screened using the transgenic mouse and the effects of the drugs can be efficiently quantified.
• The prostate-specific transgenic mice can be crossed with c-Myc transgenic mice to follow prostate cancer progression in real-time and in situ.