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Survey of mammalian cells
Live cell imaging allows us to observe cellular processes in real time. Most methods rely on light and the low penetration of light into the tissue limits the application. Ultrasound penetrates the tissues and ultrasonic cell reporters have been developed recently. These reporters are air – filled protein structures that provide buoyancy for the bacteria from which they are derived, but which, when surrounded by a fluid medium, reflect sound waves. Farhadi et al. reaches the expression of several genes to create these complex structures in mammalian cells. In addition to optimizing the production and detection of the reporters, they visualize cells as part of a proof-of-principle experiment on tumor xenografts in mice.
Science, this number p. 1469
Abstract
The study of cellular processes occurring within intact organisms requires methods to visualize cellular functions such as expression of genes in deep tissues. Ultrasound is a widely used biomedical technology for non-invasive imaging with high spatial and temporal resolution. However, no genetically encoded molecular reporter is available to relate the contrast of ultrasound to the expression of genes in mammalian cells. To overcome this limitation, we introduce acoustic reporter genes in mammals. Starting from a group of genes derived from bacteria, we have developed a eukaryotic gene program whose introduction into mammalian cells results in the expression of intracellular air-filled protein nanostructures called gas vesicles, which produce ultrasonic contrast. The mammalian acoustic reporter genes can visualize cells at volumetric densities of less than 0.5% and allow high resolution imaging of gene expression in live animals.
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