The Remarkable Legacy of the K6/ODC Mouse: Mechanisms of Polyamine-Promoted Tumorigenesis Revealed

    April 2026 in “ Amino Acids ”
    Susan K. Gilmour
    Studysummary This study reviews prior research using transgenic K6/ODC mice and demonstrates that elevated polyamines in epithelial cells contribute significantly to skin tumor development and progression by stimulating proliferation, altering cell signaling and chromatin remodeling, and affecting immune functionality, amongst other mechanisms.
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    Research cited in this study 14

    1. Bachmann–Bupp Syndrome and Treatment Developmental medicine and child neurology/Developmental medicine & child neurology · 2023
    2. Novel De Novo Pathogenic Variant in the ODC1 Gene in a Girl with Developmental Delay, Alopecia, and Dysmorphic Features American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A · 2018
    3. Elevated Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity Promotes Skin Tumorigenesis by Stimulating the Recruitment of Bulge Stem Cells but Not via Toxic Polyamine Catabolic Metabolites Amino Acids · 2013
    4. A Keratin 15 Containing Stem Cell Population From the Hair Follicle Contributes to Squamous Papilloma Development in the Mouse Molecular Carcinogenesis · 2012
    5. CD34 Expression by Hair Follicle Stem Cells Is Required for Skin Tumor Development in Mice Cancer Research · 2007
    6. Stem Cells in the Hair Follicle Bulge Contribute to Wound Repair but Not to Homeostasis of the Epidermis Nature Medicine · 2005
    7. Ornithine Decarboxylase as a Target for Chemoprevention of Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Ptch1+/– Mice Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2004
    8. A Simple In Vivo System for Studying Epithelialization, Hair Follicle Formation, and Invasion Using Primary Epidermal Cells from Wild-Type and Transgenic Ornithine Decarboxylase-Overexpressing Mouse Skin Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2001
    9. A Definitive Role of Ornithine Decarboxylase in Photocarcinogenesis American Journal Of Pathology · 2001
    10. K6/ODC Transgenic Mice as a Sensitive Model for Carcinogen Identification Toxicology Letters · 2000
    11. Co-Operation Between Follicular Ornithine Decarboxylase and v-Ha-ras Induces Spontaneous Papillomas and Malignant Conversion in Transgenic Skin Carcinogenesis · 1998
    12. Ornithine Decarboxylase Expression Leads to Translocation and Activation of Protein Kinase CK2 In Vivo Journal of Biological Chemistry · 1997
    13. Modulation of Murine Hair Follicle Function by Alterations in Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 1996
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