VCaP / VCaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Prostate Cancer

The VCaP / VCaP-luc orthotopic mouse model implants a uniquely androgen-responsive human prostate cancer line — engineered from a hormone-refractory vertebral metastasis — directly into the prostatic capsule of immunodeficient mice, faithfully recreating AR-driven tumor growth where it naturally occurs. Alfa Cytology offers this demanding model as a complete preclinical package, spanning authenticated slow-growing cell culture, Matrigel-assisted orthotopic implantation, serial serum PSA quantification and luciferase imaging, therapeutic dosing, and full terminal histopathology — so sponsors gain a gold-standard androgen-signaling platform without mastering its notoriously delicate culture requirements in-house.

Overview of VCaP / VCaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Prostate Cancer

VCaP — Vertebral-Cancer of the Prostate — occupies a singular position among human prostate cancer cell lines. Established in 1997 from a lumbar vertebral metastasis harvested at autopsy from a 59-year-old man with hormone-refractory prostate cancer, the tumor was first passaged as xenografts in mice before being adapted to culture. The line is androgen sensitive both in vitro and in vivo, expresses abundant prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), and — unlike any other commonly available prostate line — harbors the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion found in roughly half of clinical prostate cancers. Its androgen receptor is amplified and expressed at 5–10-fold the levels seen in LNCaP, the receptor protein is wild-type, and the cells additionally express the AR-V7 splice variant linked to treatment resistance; p53 carries the R248W mutation while PTEN remains intact. These traits make VCaP the reference model for interrogating androgen signaling, intratumoral androgen biosynthesis, and the transition to castration-resistant disease. Culturally, the line is famously slow and delicate, with a doubling time near 53 hours, a tendency to grow in floating clusters, and marked sensitivity to trypsin — characteristics that reward experienced handling.

Fig 1. Weekly serum PSA time courses of intact (Intact 1/2) and castration-recurrent (CRPC 1/2) orthotopic VCaP xenografts, PSA-tumor volume correlation, and intratumoral PSA content. (Knuuttila, Matias, et al., 2014)

Orthotopic implantation of VCaP into the prostatic capsule elevates the model further. Because orthotopic tumors cannot be palpated, serum PSA — secreted in quantity by the tumor — serves as a practical, validated surrogate for tumor burden, with terminal PSA concentrations correlating significantly with tumor size; androgen manipulation by castration or antiandrogen treatment measurably shifts serum PSA, enabling dynamic pharmacodynamic readouts. Surgical castration of tumor-bearing hosts converts the model into the castration-resistant CR-VCaP configuration, and stable luciferase transduction yields VCaP-luc, which supports quantitative bioluminescence tracking of orthotopic growth on IVIS-class imagers. Together, the VCaP / VCaP-luc orthotopic system offers preclinical teams a rare combination: authentic androgen-regulated human tumor biology, clinically relevant genomic lesions, and two complementary noninvasive monitoring modalities in a single model.

Cell Line Information: VCaP / VCaP-luc

VCaP (ATCC CRL-2876) is distributed by the American Type Culture Collection; ECACC additionally holds the line under catalog number 06020201. The luciferase-tagged variant, VCaP-luc, is generated by stable transduction with a luciferase expression construct and retains the androgen-responsive, PSA-secreting phenotype of the parental line. Key attributes are compiled below.

Our Services

With Alfa Cytology, the VCaP / VCaP-luc orthotopic model is delivered as a carefully choreographed preclinical program: our team maintains authenticated, low-passage VCaP and luciferase-tagged cultures under the gentle, conditioned-media conditions this line demands, prepares defined inocula with Matrigel support, performs sterile prostatic-capsule implantation in SCID or nude hosts, and follows each cohort with serum PSA kinetics plus serial bioluminescence imaging through dosing and terminal histopathology — all executed under IACUC-approved protocols and returned to you as a cohesive, audit-ready data package.

Workflow of VCaP / VCaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

Successful VCaP orthotopic work rests on three pillars: patient, conditioned culture of a slow-growing line; Matrigel-supported prostatic-capsule implantation; and dual-mode noninvasive monitoring. A standard engagement proceeds as follows.

1. Cell preparation under VCaP-specific culture discipline: VCaP or VCaP-luc cells are expanded gently with conditioned medium, kept at low passage, verified mycoplasma-free and STR-authenticated, with luciferase activity confirmed in vitro for tagged cohorts.
2. Host selection and acclimation. Male immunodeficient mice: SCID or athymic nude mice around 5–6 weeks of age — are housed in microisolator cages with sterilized feed and water and acclimated before surgery.
3. Anesthesia and exposure of the prostate: Under isoflurane anesthesia, a small lower midline abdominal incision is made; the bladder and seminal vesicle are mobilized to expose the prostate gland and its capsule.
4. Prostatic-capsule inoculation. A single-cell suspension: classically on the order of 1 × 10⁶ cells in 0.05 mL, suspended in 50% Matrigel in RPMI-1640 — is injected into the prostatic capsule through a fine needle, taking care to avoid capsular rupture and cell reflux.
5. Closure and postoperative care: The abdominal wall and skin are closed in layers, analgesia is provided, and mice recover under observation with daily health checks until wound healing is complete.
6. Engraftment verification and dual-mode monitoring: Bioluminescence imaging is performed after intraperitoneal D-luciferin injection to confirm take, then on a regular schedule (imaging commonly begins about four weeks post-implantation), while serial serum PSA measurements track tumor burden as a complementary pharmacodynamic readout.
7. Castration or treatment intervention: Where castration-resistant transition is the question, surgical or chemical castration is performed on schedule; otherwise mice are randomized by tumor signal and dosed with test articles, antiandrogens, or combinations according to protocol.
8. Endpoint analysis and reporting: At termination, serum PSA is collected, primary tumors are resected, weighed, and measured, and tissues undergo H&E and immunohistochemistry (including AR and ERG staining), with metastasis screening and all data consolidated into a final report.

Fig 2. VCaP / VCaP-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-VCaP / VCaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

Alfa Cytology has supported preclinical programs built on the VCaP / VCaP-luc orthotopic platform across androgen signaling modulation, antiandrogen and combination efficacy testing, and castration-transition study designs. In these engagements, serum PSA kinetics and luciferase imaging together supplied within-animal tracking of tumor establishment and treatment response, while terminal analyses — tumor weights, AR and ERG immunohistochemistry, and resistance-marker profiling — rounded out the pharmacological picture. Each program is configured to order with respect to cell dose, Matrigel ratio, imaging cadence, and castration scheduling. Relevant case materials can be shared under confidentiality agreements upon request.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

Few models reward specialist handling as directly as VCaP: its slow, cluster-prone culture and androgen-responsive biology can quietly degrade a study when managed by generalist labs. Alfa Cytology pairs dedicated VCaP culture expertise with orthotopic surgical precision and dual-mode monitoring, giving your androgen-signaling program a dependable foundation.

• Specialist culture expertise for a slow, trypsin-sensitive, cluster-forming line that generalist facilities often mishandle.
• Dual-mode tumor monitoring combining serum PSA kinetics with quantitative bioluminescence imaging.
• Authentic androgen-regulated biology, including amplified wild-type AR, AR-V7 expression, and TMPRSS2-ERG fusion.
• Validated castration-transition designs for modeling the androgen-dependent-to-castration-resistant switch.
• Matrigel-assisted prostatic-capsule implantation informed by published orthotopic protocols in SCID and nude hosts.
• Full terminal workup, from AR/ERG immunohistochemistry to resistance-marker profiling and metastasis screening.
• IACUC-compliant, documentation-rich operations delivering audit-ready study records from day one.

Contact Us

If your program calls for an androgen-responsive orthotopic platform, contact us today to discuss VCaP / VCaP-luc study design, castration scheduling, and monitoring strategy with our scientific team. Reach out for a confidential consultation and project quotation — Alfa Cytology is ready to put this specialized model to work for your research.

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