A) Representative images of H & E-stained lungs from tamoxifen treated, Ad-Cre infected R26lsl-MER/lsl-MER mice showing multiple pre-neoplastic pulmonary lesions. Panels 1, 2: Localized epithelial dysplasia (ed) evident in airway epithelium (panel 1) and bronchioalveolar junctions (panel 2) after 3 weeks of sustained MycERT2 activation. Compare with normal bronchiolar epithelium (n). Scale bars=20 μm. Panels 3, 4: Micro-papillary invaginations (panel 3) and atypical Clara cell proliferation characterized by vertical stacking of bronchiolar epithelial cells with apical nuclei (panel 4) present after 6 weeks of sustained MycERT2 activation. Scale bars=40 μm.
B) H & E stained lungs from Ad-Cre infected LSL-K-RasG12D;R26lsl-MER/lsl-MER mice treated with oil carrier (n=3, panels 1–4) or tamoxifen (n=6, panels 5–12) for 6 weeks. Panels 1, 2, 5 & 6: Size comparison between tumors driven by K-RasG12D alone (1, 2) and K-RasG12D/MycERT2 combined (5, 6). Scale bars=0.4 □m (1, 5) and 100 μm (2, 6). The numbered rectangular regions within panels 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 are shown enlarged in panels 2, 4, 6, 11, 8, and 10 respectively. Panels 3, 4, 7 & 8: Micropapillary formation along the bronchioles driven by K-RasG12D alone (3, 4) and K-RasG12D/MycERT2 combined (7, 8). The arrowhead points to a mitotic figure in panel 8. Scale bars=50μm (3, 7) and 20 μm (4, 8). Panels 9–11: Progression to carcinoma observed after 6 weeks of combined KrasG12D/MycERT2 driven oncogenesis. Scale bars=100 μm (9) and 20 μm (10, 11, 12). Panel 10: Nests of solid tumor (st) and isolated tumor cells surrounded by desmoplastic stroma (ds). Panels 11, 12: Mitotic figures (arrowheads) present in combined K-RasG12D/MycERT2-driven papillary adenoma (pa), adenocarcinoma (ac; 11) and acinar adenocarcinoma.