LAKTP_MTO orthotopic primary caecum tumours from Galunisertib-treated C57BL/6J mice

Mouse tumour organoids (MTOs) derived from a compound mutant (LAKTP) intestinal cancer model were orthoptopically transplanted into syngeneic C57BL/6J mice. Tumour-bearing mice were treated with TGF-beta inhibitor Galunisertib or vehicle control. Whole tumour mRNA was extracted from primary tumours and expression profiling was performed with the objective to characterize the tumour microenvironment (TME). As a TGF-beta-activated TME has been associated to a poor prognosis and the CRC consensum molecular subtype CMS4, and the mouse model was found to have such an activated TME, we used the array data to classify these tumours in this mouse model system as CMS4-like. Furthermore, treatment with TGF-beta inhibitor reduced the fibroblast- and T cell-specific TGF-beta response signatures, also associated to poor prognosis in human CRC. This treatment was associated to a strong reduction/prevention of liver metastasis, as well as a reduction of primary tumour (and local carcinomatosis) size. For every MTO, two biological replicates were included: every strip was set up with 2 control samples vs 2 treated samples