16. Deciphering the role of FUS::DDIT3 expression and tumor microenvironment in myxoid liposarcoma development
Here, we show for the first time that patient-derived xenografts may be used to generate scaffolds enabling analysis of rare tumor types, such as myxoid liposarcoma. We characterized the cell-free scaffold using mass spectrometry. Subsequently, scaffolds were repopulated using sarcoma cells with or without fusion oncoproteins expression that were analyzed with histology and RNA sequencing. Data suggest that fusion oncoprotein expression more than the microenvironment determined the pre-adipocytic phenotype that is typical for myxoid liposarcoma. Our experimental approach opens new means to study the tumor microenvironment in detail and our findings suggest that fusion oncoprotein expressing tumor cells can create their own extracellular niche.
