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Using a GFP-tagged TMEM184A Construct for Confirmation of Heparin Receptor Identity
Published on: February 17, 2017
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Magnetization transfer contrast MRI in GFP‑tagged live bacteria
Valeria Righi1, Melissa Starkey2, George Dai3
1NMR Surgical Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriners Burns Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Molecular Medicine Reports
|November 29, 2018
Summary
Magnetization transfer contrast MRI can detect green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vivo, overcoming optical imaging limitations. This non-invasive method tracks bacterial infection and therapeutic responses in mouse models.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Molecular Biology
- Infectious Disease Research
Background:
- Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a common reporter for gene expression but limited for in vivo imaging due to poor tissue penetration.
- Optical imaging techniques struggle to visualize GFP in deeper or opaque tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate Magnetization Transfer Contrast (MTC) MRI as a method for detecting green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vitro and in vivo.
- To assess MTC MRI's capability to detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in murine tissues.
Main Methods:
- MTC MRI was performed on GFP-expressing cells in vitro.
- MTC MRI was applied to an in vivo mouse model to detect GFP and P. aeruginosa infection.
- Protein specificity and concentration dependency of the MTC signal were analyzed.
Main Results:
- MTC MRI successfully detected GFP in both in vitro and in vivo settings.
- The MTC signal was demonstrated to be protein-specific and concentration-dependent.
- MTC MRI showed potential for detecting bacterial infection in murine tissues.
Conclusions:
- MTC MRI offers a non-invasive imaging approach to detect GFP, overcoming limitations of optical methods.
- This technique can serve as a valuable tool for studying bacterial proliferation and viability in vivo.
- MTC MRI may enable monitoring the impact of antibacterial therapeutics and bacterial gene expression modulation within a host system.
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