143B / 143B-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Sarcoma

The 143B / 143B-luc orthotopic mouse model for sarcoma is a human osteosarcoma xenograft platform in which Ki-Ras-transformed, p53-mutant 143B cells are inoculated into the tibia of immunodeficient mice, producing osteolytic primary bone tumors with cortical destruction and a high-rate metastatic cascade to the lung. Alfa Cytology delivers this model as a complete preclinical capability — covering authenticated 143B / 143B-luc expansion and luciferase-stable banking, precision intratibial implantation, scheduled in vivo bioluminescence tracking of bone lesions and pulmonary metastases, micro-CT bone analysis, and full skeletal histopathology — all configured to each sponsor’s agent, schedule, and endpoint requirements.

Overview of 143B / 143B-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Sarcoma

Few cell lines carry a pedigree as instructive as 143B, whose creation mirrors the stepwise genetic evolution thought to drive human osteosarcoma progression. The lineage began with HOS (TE-85, clone F-5), established by McAllister and colleagues in 1971 from the tumor of a 13-year-old girl. In 1975, Rhim and coworkers transformed HOS with the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus — introducing activated Ki-Ras — and the resulting subclone acquired overt tumorigenicity in nude mice that the parental line lacked. In 1979, Campione-Piccardo and colleagues selected a further derivative of this Ki-Ras-transformed subclone that was resistant to 5-bromodeoxyuridine and deficient in thymidine kinase (“143”), and by 1986 the line was termed 143B and deposited with the ATCC. The line carries the p53 R156P mutation in the DNA-binding domain (with high p53 protein expression) and a homozygous CDKN2A deletion, and among the HOS-derivative panel it shows the highest proliferation rate and migration, the weakest adherence, and the greatest colony-forming ability in type I collagen — a composite phenotype of aggressive, invasion-prone sarcoma cells.

Fig 1. Low-dose orthotopic 143B-luc/tdTomato tibial model: tdTomato IHC of tumor-bearing tibia (bo/tc), H&E of primary tumor and lung metastasis, MT1-MMP expression, and BLI tumor growth kinetics. (Ingvarsen, Signe Z., et al., 2020)

These aggressive traits translate directly into in vivo behavior. Subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation into nude mice produces rapidly growing tumors with early, reproducible lung metastases — a metastatic phenotype retained even after three serial passages of the tumor through new hosts — and occasional brain metastases at higher inocula. Orthotopic delivery into the proximal tibia intensifies the picture: in NOD/SCID mice, 8 of 8 animals inoculated in vivo with 143B cells developed tumors, with radiographically evident osteolytic lesions by five weeks and histology faithfully reproducing human primary osteosarcoma — central osteolysis, undifferentiated cell morphology, and increased osteoclasts lining destroyed bone. The luciferase-tagged derivative 143B-luc renders the entire course quantifiable: in the well-characterized BOOM (Bioluminescent Osteosarcoma Orthotopic Mouse) model, 1 × 10⁶ 143B-luc cells injected into the proximal tibia are tracked weekly by in vivo imaging, with micro-CT revealing both osteolytic and osteoblastic components and a significant reduction in bone volume fraction. This combination of near-universal take rates, faithful bone pathology, and metastatic competence has made the 143B / 143B-luc orthotopic system a standard for anti-metastatic screening — integrin blockade with cilengitide, for example, significantly reduced pulmonary metastasis in this model — as well as for multidrug-resistance imaging and bone-matrix biology studies.

Cell Line Information: 143B / 143B-luc

The table below consolidates the key biological, cultural, and modeling characteristics of the 143B parental line and its luciferase-labeled derivative 143B-luc. Both are human-derived and require immunodeficient hosts for in vivo work.

Our Services

Running a bone-orthotopic sarcoma study with near-universal take rates and quantitative readouts takes exacting microsurgery and imaging discipline, and Alfa Cytology delivers both: authenticated 143B / 143B-luc banks, standardized intratibial implantation, weekly in vivo bioluminescence with micro-CT correlation, and metastasis-focused skeletal pathology — all under one accountable preclinical program.

Workflow of 143B / 143B-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

Construction follows the established intratibial (BOOM-style) methodology: luciferase-labeled 143B cells are expanded under authenticated conditions, concentrated into a small-volume suspension, injected into the proximal tibia of immunodeficient mice, and followed by serial imaging with bone-architecture and metastasis-oriented endpoint analysis. The workflow comprises the following stages.

1. Cell authentication and banking: 143B or 143B-luc cells are verified by STR profiling, confirmed mycoplasma-free, and expanded into low-passage working banks under standardized MEM-based culture conditions.
2. Cell harvest and formulation: Exponentially growing cultures are trypsinized, washed, counted and viability-checked, then resuspended at 1 × 10⁶ cells in 100 μL PBS (or 10–20 μL for refined single-limb dosing) and kept on ice until implantation.
3. Anesthesia and tibial access: Male immunodeficient mice are anesthetized with isoflurane, the knee is flexed to expose the proximal tibial plateau, and a 27-gauge needle punctures the medial tibial plateau into the medullary cavity.
4. Orthotopic implantation: The cell suspension is slowly injected into the proximal tibial medullary cavity; the needle is withdrawn smoothly after a brief hold to limit reflux along the cortical tract.
5. Closure and perioperative care: The puncture site is sealed, the skin is closed, and animals receive analgesia with close post-operative monitoring, including gait and limb-swelling checks.
6. Engraftment confirmation and serial imaging: Luciferin is administered intraperitoneally and bioluminescence is acquired to confirm tibial tumor take and normalize group allocation; imaging repeats weekly for 5–6 weeks to track primary lesion growth and flag emerging thoracic metastatic signal.
7. Intervention and endpoint analysis: Experimental arms — standard-of-care chemotherapy, integrin and kinase inhibitors, BMP/Wnt-pathway agents, and combinations — proceed per study design; endpoints integrate imaging with radiography and micro-CT (osteolytic/osteoblastic lesions, bone volume fraction), ex vivo lung bioluminescence and lesion counts, and histopathology (H&E with Ki67, TRAP, and marker-specific immunohistochemistry).

Fig 2. 143B / 143B-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-143B / 143B-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

Alfa Cytology has executed preclinical programs on the 143B / 143B-luc orthotopic platform covering anti-metastatic screening, multidrug-resistance imaging, and bone-lesion biology studies. In these programs, intratibially implanted 143B-luc tumors were quantified longitudinally by in vivo bioluminescence, with micro-CT bone architecture, pulmonary metastatic burden, and histopathology characterized at endpoint. Study-level datasets are available upon request.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

Alfa Cytology unites osteosarcoma-orthograft microsurgical expertise, quantitative imaging, and skeletal pathology in one integrated operation, so every 143B / 143B-luc orthotopic study is run with tight take-rate control and reporting sponsors can defend.

• Focused experience with intratibial osteosarcoma xenografts, including BOOM-style imaging workflows and micro-CT bone analysis.
• A single coordinated team managing cell banking, tibial implantation surgery, in vivo imaging, micro-CT, and endpoint pathology under one quality framework.
• Longitudinal bioluminescence readouts covering primary bone lesion growth and early pulmonary metastatic emergence.
• Flexible intervention arms spanning chemotherapy, integrin/kinase inhibitors, and BMP/Wnt-pathway agents.
• Transparent milestone reporting and rapid scientific feedback throughout the engagement.

Contact Us

If your sarcoma program needs a high-take, bone-faithful orthotopic platform with quantitative metastasis tracking, Alfa Cytology is ready to support you. Reach out to us with your study objectives and endpoint requirements, or contact us today for a customized proposal and quotation for the 143B / 143B-luc orthotopic mouse model service.

For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use.