A novel magnetic resonance-based method to measure gene expression in living cells.
In unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes, elaborate gene regulatory mechanisms facilitate a broad range of biological processes from cell division to morphological differentiation. In order to fully understand the gene regulatory networks involved in these biological processes, the spatial and temporal patterns of expression of many thousands of genes will need to be determined in real time in living organisms. Currently available techniques are not sufficient to achieve this goal; however, novel methods based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may be particularly useful for sensitive detection of gene expression in opaque tissues. This report describes a novel reporter gene system that monitors gene expression dynamically and quantitatively, in yeast cells, by measuring the accumulation of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) using MR spectroscopy (MRS) or MR spectroscopic imaging (MRI). Because this system is completely non-invasive and does not require exogenous substrates, it is a powerful tool for studying gene expression in multicellular organisms, as well.
Ki
Sewon
S
International Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yokohama City University, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan.
Sugihara
Fuminori
F
Kasahara
Koji
K
Tochio
Hidehito
H
Okada-Marubayashi
Azusa
A
Tomita
Setsuko
S
Morita
Masahito
M
Ikeguchi
Mitsunori
M
Shirakawa
Masahiro
M
Kokubo
Tetsuro
T
D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007700:Kinetics; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D011122:Polyphosphates / Q000032:analysis; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D025262:Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000235:genetics; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins
D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D011122:Polyphosphates; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C499587:VTC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D025262:Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases