Humanized CD36 mouse model supports the preclinical evaluation of therapeutic candidates targeting CD36

Abstract

CD36 (also known as scavenger receptor B2) is a multifunctional receptor that mediates lipid uptake, advanced oxidation protein products, and immunological recognition, and has roles in lipid accumulation, apoptosis, as well as in metastatic colonization in cancer. CD36 is involved in tumor immunity, metastatic invasion, and therapy resistance through various molecular mechanisms. Targeting CD36 has emerged as an effective strategy for tumor immunotherapy. In this study, we have successfully generated a novel CD36 humanized mouse strain where the sequences encoding the extracellular domains of the mouse Cd36 gene were replaced with the corresponding human sequences. The results showed that CD36 humanized mice expressed only human CD36, and the proportion of each lymphocyte was not significantly changed compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, CD36 monoclonal antibody could significantly inhibit tumor growth after treatment. Therefore, the CD36 humanized mice provided a validated preclinical mouse model for the evaluation of tumor immunotherapy targeting CD36.