Application of GFP imaging in cancer

Abstract

Multicolored proteins have allowed the color coding of cancer cells growing in vivo and enabled the distinction of host from tumor with single-cell resolution. Non-invasive imaging with fluorescent proteins enabled follow the dynamics of metastatic cancer to be followed in real time in individual animals. Non-invasive imaging of cancer cells expressing fluorescent proteins has enabled the real-time determination of efficacy of candidate antitumor and antimetastatic agents in mouse models. The use of fluorescent proteins to differentially label cancer cells in the nucleus and cytoplasm allow visualization of the nuclear–cytoplasmic dynamics of cancer cells in vivo, mitosis, apoptosis, cell-cycle position and differential behavior of nucleus and cytoplasm such as occurs during cancer-cell deformation and extravasation. Recent applications of the technology described here include linking fluorescent proteins with cell-cycle-specific proteins (FUCCI) such that the cells change color from red to green as they transit from G1 to S phases. With the macro and micro imaging technologies described here, essentially any in vivo process can be imaged, enabling the new field of in vivo cell biology using fluorescent proteins.

In Vivo Selection of Intermediately- and Highly- Malignant Variants of Triple-negative Breast Cancer in Orthotopic Nude Mouse Models

“…Serial orthotopic implantation three times resulted in → Figure 1. (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). intermediately-metastatic variants of MDA-MB-231-RFP.…”

“…High-resolution images were captured directly on a PC (Fujitsu Siemens, Munich, Germany). Images were processed for contrast and brightness and analyzed with the use of Paint Shop Pro 8 and CellR (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

Tumorigenicity and Validity of Fluorescence Labelled Mesenchymal and Epithelial Human Oral Cancer Cell Lines in Nude Mice

“…Noninvasive whole-body imaging therefore represents an appropriate monitoring of cancer growth and progression [22]. Simultaneous application of GFP and RFP in one animal is feasible due to distinct light spectra between both colors [23]. Since cancer cells of epithelial or mesenchymal phenotypes are long lastingly labelled with distinct fluorescence, it may become feasible in the future to simultaneously investigate cancer progression such as local invasion and distant metastasis using both cell types in a single animal model.…”

Targeting tumor metastases: Drug delivery mechanisms and technologies

“…Non-invasive molecular imaging using fluorescent probes [134] and multi-photon microscopy [135] have provided us with greater insights beyond the cellular dynamics of tumor progression such as tumor growth [136], macrometastasis [137], and tumor angiogenesis [138], and have enabled functional readouts of subcellular biological processes such as protein–protein interactions [139, 140]. While optical imaging using fluorescent proteins has helped to advance the study of cancer dynamics in situ, drawbacks relating to interference with tissue absorption and auto-fluorescence leading to low sensitivity of detection of exogenously labeled cells continue to limit adequate cancer resolution in vivo.…”