Description
Synovial sarcoma-like tumors were generated in mice by conditionally expressing the human t(X;18) translocation-derived SYT-SSX2 fusion protein. Using a Tamoxifen-inducible CreER system, we show here that sporadic expression of SYT-SSX2 across multiple tissue types leads to exclusive formation of synovial sarcoma-like tumors while its widespread expression is lethal. CreER-based sporadic expression both avoids the severe early developmental phenotypes associated with widespread SYT-SSX2 expression and better models natural pathogenesis of cancers where transformed cells usually arise within an environment of largely normal cells.