A versatile genetic-encoded reporter for magnetic resonance imaging

Haiyang Yang; Zhengjiang Qian; Chunhua Liu; Changjun Tie; Aoling Cai; Jie Wang; Yao Xing; Jun Xia; Xiang Li

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14054

A versatile genetic-encoded reporter for magnetic resonance imaging

Heliyon. 2023 Mar 1;9(3):e14054. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14054. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Haiyang Yang^{1

2}, Zhengjiang Qian¹, Chunhua Liu¹, Changjun Tie^{3

4}, Aoling Cai^{2

5}, Jie Wang⁵, Yao Xing⁶, Jun Xia⁷, Xiang Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Viral Vectors for Biomedicine, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
³ Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁴ Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, 430071, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
⁶ Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd., China.
⁷ Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Health Science Center, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, 3002 SunGang Road West, Shenzhen 518035, China.

Abstract

It has been a long-cherished wish in biomedicine research to have an imaging tool to visualize gene expression, with good spatiotemporal resolution, in rodent and primate animals noninvasively and longitudinally. To this purpose, we here present a novel genetic encoded magnetic resonance imaging reporter, i.e., GEM reporter, for noninvasive visualization of cell-specific gene expression. The GEM reporter was developed through codon modification of a bacteria-originated manganese (Mn) binding protein, allowing the sequestration of endogenous Mn in local tissues. When expressed in bacteria, plant and animals, GEM reporter can robustly produce high image contrast in T1-weighted MRI without additional substrates or contrast agents. Importantly, GEM reporter can be tracked inherently by MRI in specific cells and tissues. These findings support GEM reporter as a versatile marker for deciphering gene expression spatiotemporally in living subjects.

Keywords: CPu, Caudate putamen; Contrast agent; GEM, Genetic encoded magnetic resonance imaging reporter; ICP-MS, Inductively coupled plasmon resonance atomic absorption spectrometry; MRI; Molecular imaging; Po, Posterior thalamic nuclear group; SLG, Sublingual glands; SMG, Submandibular glands.