title: Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Carrying a Multimodality Reporter Gene for Fluorescence, Bioluminescence, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging In Vitro and In Vivo.
abstract: The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of imaging or tracking hepatocellular carcinoma cells by modifying these cells to carry a multimodality reporter gene, enabling fluorescence, bioluminescence, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in vitro and in vivo.
  
  
  
  HepG2 cells were labeled with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)/luciferase2/ferritin-the multimodality reporter gene (labeled HepG2 cells). The labeled and unlabeled HepG2 cells were cultured in vitro and then injected subcutaneously into mice as a hepatoma model in vivo. The expressions of EGFP, luciferase2, and ferritin in HepG2 cell suspensions and hepatoma model were investigated using fluorescence, bioluminescence, and MRI.
  
  
  
  Individual HepG2 cells expressing EGFP were identified under blue laser excitation. The linear coefficient between the optical signal intensity of luciferase2 and the number of labeled cells was 0.993. MRI was used to distinguish the T2* signal of 2 × 107cells/mL between the labeled (6.67 ± 1.88 ms) and unlabeled cells (10.66 ± 2.22 ms) (P = 0.034). In vivo, individual HepG2 cells expressing EGFP in frozen sections were observed. Labeled cells expressing luciferase2 have been detected since the second day after injection, and the bioluminescence increased with the tumor size. The T2* signal was significantly different between the labeled (6.04 ± 1.60 ms) and unlabeled cells (17.06 ± 2.17 ms) (P <0.001).
  
  
  
  A multimodality reporter gene consisting of EGFP, luciferase2, and ferritin was successfully integrated into the HepG2 cell genome via a lentiviral vector and was highly expressed in the daughter cells. These cells could be detected by fluorescence, bioluminescence, and MRI in vitro and in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Minimally Invasive Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 250 East Changgang Road, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China; Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; Interventional Radiology Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; Interventional Radiology Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Mingyue
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; Interventional Radiology Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhengran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; Interventional Radiology Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Liteng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Minimally Invasive Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 250 East Changgang Road, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Wensou
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Minimally Invasive Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 250 East Changgang Road, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China. Electronic address: zhksh010@163.com.
authors.forename: Kangshun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins
keywords: Enhanced green fluorescent protein; Ferritin; Gene imaging; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Luciferase2