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In vivo imaging using bioluminescence: a tool for probing graft-versus-host disease
Robert S Negrin1, Christopher H Contag
1Department of Medicine, Center for Clinical Research Building, 269 West Campus Drive, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA. negrs@stanford.edu
Insights
Bioluminescence imaging uses luciferase to track immune cell trafficking. This method aids understanding of immune responses and diseases like graft-versus-host disease.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Immune cell trafficking is central to health and disease.
- Understanding immune cell movement is key to controlling immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce bioluminescence imaging as a novel method for studying immune cell trafficking.
- To highlight its potential applications in various immunological studies.
Main Methods:
- Utilizes bioluminescence, specifically the luciferase enzyme, for cell quantification.
- Employs low-light imaging systems to detect light emission.
Main Results:
- Bioluminescence imaging allows for the visualization and quantification of cell trafficking events.
- Demonstrates the potential to study complex immunological processes.
Conclusions:
- Bioluminescence imaging is a powerful tool for investigating immune cell dynamics.
- This technique can advance the study of diseases involving immune cell dysfunction, such as graft-versus-host and graft-versus-leukemia reactions.
Abstract:
Immunological reactions have a key role in health and disease and are complex events characterized by coordinated cell trafficking to specific locations throughout the body. Clarification of these cell-trafficking events is crucial for improving our understanding of how immune reactions are initiated, controlled and recalled. As we discuss here, an emerging modality for revealing cell trafficking is bioluminescence imaging, which harnesses the light-emitting properties of enzymes such as luciferase for quantification of cells and uses low-light imaging systems. This strategy could be useful for the study of a wide range of biological processes, such as the pathophysiology of graft-versus-host and graft-versus-leukaemia reactions.
