Patent attributes
The present invention makes available powerful tools for the study of cancer, based on a novel expression construct for a constitutively active hydrocarbon receptor CA-AhR. The invention further comprises transgenic non-human animals, preferably mammals, expressing CA-AhR in one or more tissues thereof. An animal model based on the transgenic non-human animals forms the basis for novel methods e.g. for the study of cancer; for the screening of compounds, such as drug candidates; for the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of cancer, in particular stomach cancer; for the investigation of the mechanisms of highly differentiated adenocarcinoma etc. Likewise, in vitro models based on transformed cells or cell lines, functionally incorporating the inventive construct are disclosed.