Non-invasive imaging of GFAP expression after neuronal damage in mice.
Up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression is often used as a surrogate marker of neuronal damage. We have created a transgenic mouse line that carries the luciferase gene under the transcriptional control of the mouse GFAP promoter. Biophotonic imaging was used to non-invasively detect the increase in GFAP expression after kainic acid induced neuronal cell death. We demonstrate that after kainic acid treatment, strong biophotonic signals were detected from the brain area. This correlated with both endogenous GFAP and luciferase RNA levels as well as with hippocampal cell death observed histologically. The transgenic mouse line will provide a powerful tool to dynamically monitor neuronal cell death in the living animal and will aid in the discovery and development of drugs to treat damage due to stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Zhu
Lingyun
L
Xenogen Corporation, 860 Atlantic Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501, USA.
Ramboz
Sylvie
S
Hewitt
Duane
D
Boring
Landin
L
Grass
David S
DS
Purchio
Anthony F
AF
D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007608:Kainic Acid; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D008156:Luciferases; D007608:Kainic Acid