TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Prostate Cancer

Built on the classic TRAMP syngeneic prostate cancer system, the TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic mouse model places tumors directly within the mouse prostate gland of immunocompetent C57BL/6 hosts, delivering a clinically faithful setting in which to test new treatments for prostate cancer. Alfa Cytology brings this model to your program as a turnkey preclinical service — encompassing authenticated cell sourcing, microsurgical orthotopic implantation or tumor-chunk transfer, luciferase-based longitudinal imaging, dosed intervention, and complete pathology readouts — so you receive publication-ready results without building in-house animal surgery capacity.

Overview of TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Prostate Cancer

TRAMP-C2 is a murine prostate adenocarcinoma cell line isolated in 1996 by Foster and colleagues from a heterogeneous 32-week primary tumor harvested from a TRAMP (transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate) mouse. In this strain, a minimal −426/+28 rat probasin promoter fragment drives prostate-restricted expression of the SV40 large T antigen, driving spontaneous progression from prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive, metastatic adenocarcinoma. Of the three lines generated in that study (TRAMP-C1, TRAMP-C2, TRAMP-C3), TRAMP-C2 forms tumors reproducibly when grafted into syngeneic C57BL/6 mice, whereas TRAMP-C3 does not. The line displays an epithelial, adherent morphology, expresses cytokeratin, E-cadherin, and androgen receptor, and shows no evidence of p53 mutation; notably, the SV40 T antigen is not expressed by the cultured cells or by the tumors they form. Relative to TRAMP-C1, TRAMP-C2 exhibits slower growth kinetics both in vitro and in vivo, and the tumors it produces are reported to be hormonally independent — a phenotype that invites comparison with castration-resistant prostate disease.

Fig 1. Graphical summary of intercellular biomolecule transfer-driven angiogenesis evaluated in the orthotopic TRAMP-C2-luc/GFP prostate cancer model with pulmonary/hepatic metastases. (Lu, Zhen, et al., 2021)

Orthotopic placement of TRAMP-C2 cells or tumor fragments into the prostate lobe, rather than the flank, restores the tumor to its tissue of origin, preserving native stromal crosstalk, prostate-specific vasculature, and lymphatic drainage toward para-aortic nodes, and permitting spontaneous local invasion and metastasis under fully immunocompetent conditions. This makes the model a preferred vehicle for studying immunotherapies, therapeutic vaccines, checkpoint blockade, and combination regimens. The luciferase-tagged variant, TRAMP-C2-luc, enables repeated, noninvasive quantification of tumor burden through bioluminescence imaging after D-luciferin administration, cutting cohort size while capturing onset, growth, treatment response, and recurrence dynamics in individual animals. Together, these features give the TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic model a distinctive niche among prostate cancer research tools.

Cell Line Information: TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc

TRAMP-C2 (ATCC CRL-2731) was established in 1996 from a 32-week primary prostate tumor of a PB-Tag TRAMP transgenic C57BL/6 mouse and is deposited with the American Type Culture Collection. The TRAMP-C2-luc variant carries a stably integrated firefly luciferase reporter, introduced by lentiviral transduction for optical tracking of tumors in vivo. Principal features are listed below.

Our Services

With Alfa Cytology, commissioning the TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic model is straightforward: our preclinical team handles host sourcing and acclimation, sterile microsurgical implantation of cells or donor tumor fragments into the prostate, confirmation of engraftment by serial bioluminescence imaging, execution of your dosing and sampling schedules, and terminal collection with full histopathological workup — all under IACUC-approved protocols and delivered as an audited, study-ready data package.

Workflow of TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

The construction workflow blends tumor cell or donor-tissue logistics, precision microsurgery, and optical monitoring. A typical program proceeds through the following stages.

1. Cell or donor-tumor preparation and quality control: TRAMP-C2 or TRAMP-C2-luc cells are expanded, authenticated, and confirmed mycoplasma-negative; where the fragment-transfer format is chosen, donor tumors are first raised subcutaneously in C57BL/6 mice and excised aseptically for orthotopic use.
2. Host selection and acclimation: Male C57BL/6 mice, usually 6–10 weeks of age, are quarantined and acclimated in a specific-pathogen-free barrier facility before any surgical procedure.
3. Anesthesia and surgical exposure: The mouse is anesthetized and a lower midline abdominal incision is made; gentle retraction of the seminal vesicle delivers the anterior (or dorsal) prostate lobe into the operative field.
4. Orthotopic inoculation: Either a single-cell suspension (on the order of 1–3 × 10⁶ cells in 25–50 μL PBS, optionally with Matrigel) or a 2–3 mm donor tumor fragment is placed into the prostate lobe via fine-needle injection or trocar, with care to avoid leakage into the peritoneal cavity.
5. Closure and postoperative care: The prostate is repositioned, the abdominal wall and skin are closed with absorbable suture, and the animal recovers under warming with analgesia and daily health checks.
6. Engraftment verification and randomization: For luciferase-tagged cohorts, bioluminescence imaging is performed at defined intervals after intraperitoneal D-luciferin injection to confirm take rate and measure tumor burden; animals are stratified into treatment arms on the basis of signal intensity.
7. Intervention and longitudinal tracking: Investigational agents, antibodies, radiotherapy, or combination schedules are administered according to the protocol, with body weight, clinical signs, and imaging signals captured at preset time points.
8. Terminal analysis and reporting: At the endpoint, prostate tumors and draining lymph nodes are resected, weighed, and dimensioned; specimens undergo H&E and immunohistochemical staining, immune profiling (including flow cytometry where specified), and metastasis screening, and all findings are consolidated into a final study report.

Fig 2. TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

Alfa Cytology has supported preclinical programs that leverage the TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic system for evaluating immunomodulatory agents, targeted small molecules, and combination treatment strategies in an immunocompetent prostate cancer context. Across these engagements, serial bioluminescence imaging provided within-animal tracking of tumor establishment and therapeutic response, while terminal analyses spanning tumor weights, survival assessments, and immune microenvironment characterization furnished a well-rounded pharmacological picture. Because each program’s questions differ, study parameters such as inoculum format, imaging cadence, and endpoint panels are configured to order. Relevant case materials can be made available under appropriate confidentiality arrangements on request.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

The value of an orthotopic prostate cancer study rests on surgical consistency, imaging discipline, and endpoint depth. Alfa Cytology integrates all three under one roof, giving the TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic model the rigor your development decisions deserve.

• Two implantation formats — single-cell suspension or donor tumor fragment transfer — matched to your biological question and timeline.
• Dedicated bioluminescence imaging infrastructure enabling serial, quantitative, noninvasive tumor tracking in the same animal.
• Slow-growth, androgen-independent tumor phenotype that models castration-resistant prostate disease biology.
• Fully immunocompetent syngeneic hosts, suitable for immunotherapy, vaccine, and checkpoint-inhibitor studies.
• Breadth of endpoint services, from standard tumor metrics to H&E, immunohistochemistry, and immune phenotyping.
• IACUC-compliant husbandry and documentation, giving you audit-ready records at every stage.
• Direct access to PhD-level study directors for design consultation, interim reviews, and data interpretation.

Contact Us

If the TRAMP-C2 / TRAMP-C2-luc orthotopic model fits your next prostate cancer study, contact us today and our scientific team will help you scope inoculum format, imaging schedule, and endpoint panels around your compound. Reach out for a confidential, no-obligation consultation and quotation — Alfa Cytology is ready to put this model to work for your program.

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