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Updated: May 20, 2026
Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging (CLI) for Cancer Therapy Monitoring
Published on: November 13, 2012
Comparison of Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) and gamma camera imaging for visualization of let-7 expression in
Weidong Yang1, Weiwei Qin, Zhenhua Hu
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Background And Aim:
miRNA is an important factor for tumorigenesis which could act as a potential molecular target for tumor diagnosis. The goal of this study was to explore a new method for visualizing the expression of let-7 in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells by Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) and gamma camera imaging.
Methods:
The human sodium/iodine symporter (hNIS) and 3'-UTR sequence of the ras gene (RU) that complementarily binds to let-7 were cloned with hNIS serving as the reporter gene. The expression of hNIS regulated by let-7 in the fusion gene hNIS-RU was constructed; the let-7 primer (pri-let-7), which could specifically bind to RU and the mir-143 primer (pri-mir143) not binding with RU, was cloned. A549 cells were transfected with hNIS or hNIS-RU, and additional cells were cotransfected with hNIS-RU and different concentrations of pri-let-7 or pri-mir143. The cells were incubated with 740kBq (131)I-containing media for 1h, 24h after transfection. CLI, gamma camera imaging, and γ counting were subsequently conducted, and the correlation among CLI, gamma camera imaging, and γ counting was compared when cotransfected with pri-let-7.
Results:
CLI, gamma camera imaging, and radioactive counting showed that hNIS-transfected A549 cells had significantly higher uptake of (131)I compared to non-transfected cells. The uptake of (131)I in hNIS-RU transfected A549 cells decreased to approximately 70% compared to hNIS-transfected cells, since hNIS-RU expression was suppressed by intracellular let-7. After cotransfection with hNIS-RU and various concentrations of pri-let-7, (131)I uptake gradually decreased with increasing pri-let-7, while (131)I uptake remained roughly unchanged in the presence of hNIS-RU cotransfected with different amounts of pri-mir143. CLI was highly correlated with gamma camera imaging (r(2)=0.9893) and radioactivity counting (0.9779).
Conclusions:
Based upon miRNA-regulated reporter genes which mediate the uptake of the radionuclide, both CLI and gamma camera imaging can noninvasively detect miRNA expression in cells, which may provide a new way for the visualization of miRNA expression.
Insights
This study demonstrates Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) and gamma camera imaging can visualize let-7 microRNA (miRNA) expression in lung adenocarcinoma cells. This novel method uses miRNA-regulated reporter genes to detect miRNA levels noninvasively.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and are potential targets for cancer diagnosis.
- Visualizing miRNA expression is essential for understanding their role in diseases like lung adenocarcinoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel method for visualizing let-7 miRNA expression in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.
- To utilize Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) and gamma camera imaging for noninvasive miRNA detection.
Main Methods:
- Constructed a fusion gene (hNIS-RU) where hNIS expression is regulated by let-7 binding to the ras gene 3'-UTR.
- Transfected A549 cells with hNIS or hNIS-RU, and co-transfected with let-7 or mir-143 primers.
- Incubated cells with (131)I and performed CLI, gamma camera imaging, and gamma counting.
Main Results:
- CLI and gamma camera imaging successfully visualized (131)I uptake, reflecting hNIS-RU expression levels.
- (131)I uptake decreased in hNIS-RU transfected cells due to let-7 suppression, correlating with pri-let-7 concentration.
- CLI demonstrated high correlation with gamma camera imaging (r(2)=0.9893) and radioactivity counting (0.9779).
Conclusions:
- miRNA-regulated reporter genes can mediate radionuclide uptake for noninvasive miRNA detection.
- CLI and gamma camera imaging offer a new approach for visualizing miRNA expression in cells.
- This technique holds promise for advancing molecular diagnostics in cancer research.
