Transcriptome profiling of SW480 cells and cells derived from xenograft tumors from serial transplantation of SW480 cells by RNA-sequencing

SW480 is a colorectal cancer cell line. We have shown that cancer cells are characteristic of neural stem cells and neural stemness contributes to cell tumorigenicity. We found that during serial transplantation of SW480 cells into nude mice via subcutaneous injection (in vivo passaging), the cells enhanced their neural stemness, tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. Overall design: SW480 cells (designated as S0) were injected subcutaneously into 6 nude mice at a does of 3x10^6 cells per mouse. 49 days later, tumors were dissected and tumor cells (designated as S1) were cultured in neural stem cell specific serum-free medium (Ndiff227 medium) for 9 days. Cell spheres formed in the serum-free medium were collected and dissociated by trituration. Each 3x10^6 of the cells of the tumors at the first transplantation were injected subcutaneously into nude mice, and tumors were dissected again after 49 days after transplantation. The tumors of the second transplantation (S2) were the cell source for the third transplantation (S3), which was done exactly as the first and second time. SW480 cells cultured in serum-free medium for 9 days (S0), sphere-forming cells from the first (S1), second (S2) and the third (S3) transplantation were subjected to RNA sequencing.