Wilms10M Cells

The Wilms10M cell line was established from a metastatic lung nodule of a patient with Wilms tumor (nephroblastoma). Like its primary tumor counterpart, Wilms10T, the Wilms10M cell line is characterized by a homozygous deletion of the WT1 gene, resulting in the complete absence of WT1 protein. WT1 is essential for normal kidney development, and its deletion is associated with more aggressive tumor behavior, particularly in metastatic settings. Additionally, Wilms10M cells exhibit loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the 11p15 chromosomal region, which includes the IGF2 gene, further contributing to the malignant properties of these cells.
Wilms10M cells maintain a stable karyotype with no major chromosomal rearrangements apart from the specific deletion of the WT1 region. This cell line, derived from metastatic tissue, is particularly valuable for studying the molecular mechanisms that drive metastasis in Wilms tumor. The cells exhibit mesenchymal characteristics, expressing markers such as vimentin, while lacking epithelial markers like cytokeratin, which is indicative of their origin from the stromal component of the tumor.
Research on Wilms10M has focused on the signaling pathways that are active in these metastatic cells. Proteomic analyses have demonstrated the activation of several receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including IGF1R, PDGFRβ, and AXL, which are involved in promoting cell survival, proliferation, and metastatic potential. The downstream MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways are also activated, playing a key role in maintaining the invasive and metastatic phenotype of Wilms10M cells. Given its metastatic origin, Wilms10M is an essential model for understanding the molecular events underlying Wilms tumor metastasis and for developing targeted therapeutic strategies against metastatic disease.