Firefly luciferase offers superior performance to AkaLuc for tracking the fate of administered cell therapies

Amadeo, Francesco ORCID: 0000-0002-3868-2348, Plagge, Antonius ORCID: 0000-0001-6592-1343, Chacko, Anitta, Wilm, Bettina ORCID: 0000-0002-9245-993X, Hanson, Vivien, Liptrott, Neill ORCID: 0000-0002-5980-8966, Murray, Patricia and Taylor, Arthur ORCID: 0000-0003-2028-6694 (2022) Firefly luciferase offers superior performance to AkaLuc for tracking the fate of administered cell therapies. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING, 49 (3). pp. 796-808.

Text
Amadeo2021_Article_FireflyLuciferaseOffersSuperio.pdf - Published version
Download (2MB) | Preview

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00259-021-05439-4

Abstract

<h4>Introduction</h4>A novel, red-shifted bioluminescence imaging (BLI) system called AkaBLI has been recently developed for cell tracking in preclinical models and to date, limited data is available on how it performs in relation to existing systems.<h4>Purpose</h4>To systematically compare the performance of AkaBLI and the standard Firefly luciferase (FLuc) systems to monitor the biodistribution and fate of cell therapies in rodents.<h4>Methods</h4>Umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were transduced to produce two genetically engineered populations, expressing either AkaLuc or the engineered FLuc luc2. The bioluminescence of AkaLuc<sup>+</sup> and FLuc<sup>+</sup> cells was assessed both in vitro (emission spectra, saturation kinetics and light emission per cell) and in vivo (substrate kinetics following intraperitoneal and subcutaneous administration and biodistribution of the cells up to day 7).<h4>Results</h4>Introduction of the reporter genes has no effect on MSC phenotype. For BLI, the FLuc system is superior to AkaBLI in terms of (i) light output, producing a stronger signal after subcutaneous substrate delivery and more consistent signal kinetics when delivered intraperitoneally; (ii) absence of hepatic background; and (iii) safety, where the AkaLuc substrate was associated with a reaction in the skin of the mice in vivo.<h4>Conclusion</h4>We conclude that there is no advantage in using the AkaBLI system to track the biodistribution of systemically administered cell-based regenerative medicine therapies in vivo.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Bioluminescence imaging, Reporter genes, Mesenchymal stromal cells, Cell therapies, Animal models
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	27 Jul 2021 12:52
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:35
DOI:	10.1007/s00259-021-05439-4
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3131474