Fluorescent Photo-conversion: A second chance to label unique cells.
Not all cells behave uniformly after treatment in tissue engineering studies. In fact, some treated cells display no signs of treatment or show unique characteristics not consistent with other treated cells. What if the "unique" cells could be isolated from a treated population, and further studied? Photo-convertible reporter proteins, such asDendra2, allow for the ability to selectively identify unique cells with a secondary label within a primary labeled treated population. In the current study, select cells were identified and labeled through photo-conversion ofDendra2-transfected human Wharton's Jelly cells (hWJCs) for the first time. Robust photo-conversion of green-to-red fluorescence was achieved consistently in arbitrarily selected cells, allowing for precise cell identification of select hWJCs. The current study demonstrates a method that offers investigators the opportunity to selectively label and identify unique cells within a treated population for further study or isolation from the treatment population. Photo-convertible reporter proteins, such asDendra2, offer the ability over non-photo-convertible reporter proteins, such as green fluorescent protein, to analyze unique individual cells within a treated population, which allows investigators to gain more meaningful information on how a treatment affects all cells within a target population.
Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045.
Adam J
AJ
Mellott
Microscopy and Analytical Imaging Laboratory, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045.
Heather E
HE
Shinogle
Microscopy and Analytical Imaging Laboratory, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045.
David S
DS
Moore
Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 ; Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045.
Michael S
MS
Detamore
Cell tracking; Dendra2; Human Wharton's jelly cells; Nucleofection; Photo-convertible reporter gene