title: Intravital imaging of cardiac function at the single-cell level.
abstract: Knowledge of cardiomyocyte biology is limited by the lack of methods to interrogate single-cell physiology in vivo. Here we show that contracting myocytes can indeed be imaged with optical microscopy at high temporal and spatial resolution in the beating murine heart, allowing visualization of individual sarcomeres and measurement of the single cardiomyocyte contractile cycle. Collectively, this has been enabled by efficient tissue stabilization, a prospective real-time cardiac gating approach, an image processing algorithm for motion-artifact-free imaging throughout the cardiac cycle, and a fluorescent membrane staining protocol. Quantification of cardiomyocyte contractile function in vivo opens many possibilities for investigating myocardial disease and therapeutic intervention at the cellular level.
authors: Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114;Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115; and.
authors: Aaron D
authors: AD
authors: Aguirre
authors: Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114; cvinegoni@mgh.harvard.edu rweissleder@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Vinegoni
authors: Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114;
authors: Matt
authors: M
authors: Sebas
authors: Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114;Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 cvinegoni@mgh.harvard.edu rweissleder@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Weissleder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D003199:Computer Systems; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006334:Heart Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008853:Microscopy; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: cardiovascular imaging; fluorescence; intravital micoscopy; molecular imaging; pacing