Canine tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) shows a higher metastasis rate than non-tonsillar oral SCC (NTSCC). The mechanisms of metastasis for TSCC have been less studied, because both TSCC and NTSCC cell lines are few. In this study, 6 cloned TSCC (TSCCLN#1-#6), which were from a metastatic lymph node, and 2 cloned NTSCC (oSCC-1 and -4) cell lines, which were from the primary lesion, were established, and their characteristics were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that increased expression level of Vimentin in TSCC cell lines and increased expression levels of mesenchymal markers including Vimentin, Snail, and Slug in NTSCC cell lines corelated with the malignant phenotypes such as the cell growth and colony formation abilities in vitro. However, expression levels of mesenchymal markers and in vitro characteristics were unrelated to tumorigenic ability in nude mice. Additionally, the expression levels of E-cadherin and Vimentin were also evaluated by immunohistochemistry using the formalin-fixed paraffin embedded canine oral SCC tissues, and the results show that the expression level of Vimentin in TSCC was higher than in NTSCC. In conclusion, the cell lines established in this study might contribute to elucidating the mechanisms involved in TSCC metastasis.

犬扁桃体鳞状细胞癌 (TSCC) 的转移率高于非扁桃体口腔鳞状细胞癌 (NTSCC)。TSCC 的转移机制研究较少，因为 TSCC 和 NTSCC 细胞系都很少。本研究建立了来自转移性淋巴结的 6 个克隆的 TSCC (TSCCLN#1-#6) 和来自原发灶的 2 个克隆的 NTSCC (oSCC-1 和 -4) 细胞系，并在体外和体内对它们的特性进行了评估。结果表明，TSCC细胞系中Vimentin的表达水平增加，NTSCC细胞系中Vimentin、Snail和Slug等间充质标志物的表达水平增加与体外细胞生长和集落形成能力等恶性表型相关. 然而，间充质标志物的表达水平和体外特征与裸鼠的致瘤能力无关。此外，还使用福尔马林固定石蜡包埋的犬口腔鳞状细胞癌组织通过免疫组织化学评估了E-cadherin和波形蛋白的表达水平，结果表明波形蛋白在TSCC中的表达水平高于在NTSCC中的表达水平。总之，本研究中建立的细胞系可能有助于阐明 TSCC 转移的机制。