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Khodanovich MY, Anan’ina TV, Krutenkova EP, Akulov AE, Kudabaeva MS, Svetlik MV, Tumentceva YA, Shadrina MM, Naumova AV. Challenges and Practical Solutions to MRI and Histology Matching and Measurements Using Available ImageJ Software Tools. Biomedicines 2022; 10:1556. [PMID: 35884861 PMCID: PMC9313422 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10071556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally histology is the gold standard for the validation of imaging experiments. Matching imaging slices and histological sections and the precise outlining of corresponding tissue structures are difficult. Challenges are based on differences in imaging and histological slice thickness as well as tissue shrinkage and alterations after processing. Here we describe step-by-step instructions that might be used as a universal pathway to overlay MRI and histological images and for a correlation of measurements between imaging modalities. The free available (Fiji is just) ImageJ software tools were used for regions of interest transformation (ROIT) and alignment using a rat brain MRI as an example. The developed ROIT procedure was compared to a manual delineation of rat brain structures. The ROIT plugin was developed for ImageJ to enable an automatization of the image processing and structural analysis of the rodent brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Y. Khodanovich
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Tatyana V. Anan’ina
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Elena P. Krutenkova
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Andrey E. Akulov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Lavrentyeva Avenue, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
| | - Marina S. Kudabaeva
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Mikhail V. Svetlik
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Yana A. Tumentceva
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Maria M. Shadrina
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
| | - Anna V. Naumova
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Russia. 36, Lenina Ave., 634050 Tomsk, Russia; (T.V.A.); len-- (E.P.K.); (M.S.K.); (M.V.S.); (Y.A.T.); (M.M.S.); (A.V.N.)
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 850 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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Tissue-Specific Ferritin- and GFP-Based Genetic Vectors Visualize Neurons by MRI in the Intact and Post-Ischemic Rat Brain. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21238951. [PMID: 33255702 PMCID: PMC7728074 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21238951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Neurogenesis is considered to be a potential brain repair mechanism and is enhanced in stroke. It is difficult to reconstruct the neurogenesis process only from the histological sections taken from different animals at different stages of brain damage and restoration. Study of neurogenesis would greatly benefit from development of tissue-specific visualization probes. (2) Purpose: The study aimed to explore if overexpression of ferritin, a nontoxic iron-binding protein, under a doublecortin promoter can be used for non-invasive visualization of neurogenesis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). (3) Methods: Ferritin heavy chain (FerrH) was expressed in the adeno-associated viral backbone (AAV) under the doublecortin promoter (pDCX), specific for young neurons, in the viral construct AAV-pDCX-FerrH. Expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) was used as an expression control (AAV-pDCX-eGFP). The viral vectors or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were injected intracerebrally into 18 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats. Three days before injection, rats underwent transient middle-cerebral-artery occlusion or sham operation. Animals were subjected to In vivo MRI study before surgery and on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after injection using a Bruker BioSpec 11.7 T scanner. Brain sections obtained on day 28 after injection were immunostained for ferritin, young (DCX) and mature (NeuN) neurons, and activated microglia/macrophages (CD68). Additionally, RT-PCR was performed to confirm ferritin expression. (4) Results: T2* images in post-ischemic brains of animals injected with AAV-pDCX-FerrH showed two distinct zones of MRI signal hypointensity in the ipsilesioned hemisphere starting from 14 days after viral injection—in the ischemic lesion and near the lateral ventricle and subventricular zone (SVZ). In sham-operated animals, only one zone of hypointensity near the lateral ventricle and SVZ was revealed. Immunochemistry showed that ferritin-expressing cells in ischemic lesions were macrophages (88.1%), while ferritin-expressing cells near the lateral ventricle in animals both after ischemia and sham operation were mostly mature (55.7% and 61.8%, respectively) and young (30.6% and 7.1%, respectively) neurons. RT-PCR confirmed upregulated expression of ferritin in the caudoputamen and corpus callosum. Surprisingly, in animals injected with AAV-pDCX-eGFP we similarly observed two zones of hypointensity on T2* images. Cellular studies also showed the presence of mature (81.5%) and young neurons (6.1%) near the lateral ventricle in both postischemic and sham-operated animals, while macrophages in ischemic lesions were ferritin-positive (98.2%). (5) Conclusion: Ferritin overexpression induced by injection of AAV-pDCX-FerrH was detected by MRI using T2*-weighted images, which was confirmed by immunochemistry showing ferritin in young and mature neurons. Expression of eGFP also caused a comparable reduced MR signal intensity in T2*-weighted images. Additional studies are needed to investigate the potential and tissue-specific features of the use of eGFP and ferritin expression in MRI studies.
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Shuboni-Mulligan DD, Chakravarty S, Mallett CL, Wolf AM, Dmitriev PM, Forton SM, Shapiro EM. In vivo serial MRI of age-dependent neural progenitor cell migration in the rat brain. Neuroimage 2019; 199:153-159. [PMID: 31152841 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is a neurogenic niche in the mammalian brain, giving rise to migratory neural progenitor cells (NPC). In rodents, it is well-established that neurogenesis decreases with aging. MRI-based cell tracking has been used to measure various aspects of neurogenesis and NPC migration in rodents, yet it has not yet been validated in the context of age-related decrease in neurogenesis. This validation is critical to using these MRI techniques to study changes in neurogenesis that arise in diseases prevalent in aging populations and their combination with advanced cellular therapeutic approaches aiming to combat neurodegeneration. As such, in this work we used MRI-based cell tracking to measure endogenous neurogenesis and cell migration from the SVZ along the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb, for 12 days duration, in rats aged 9 weeks to 2 years old. To enable the specific detection of NPCs by MRI, we injected micron sized particles of iron oxide (MPIOs) into the lateral ventricle to endogenously label cells within the SVZ, which then appeared as hypo-intensive spots within MR images. In vivo MRI data showed that the rate of NPC migration was significantly different between all ages examined, with decreases in the distance traveled and migration rate as age progressed. The total number of MPIO-labeled cells within the olfactory bulb on day 12, was significantly decreased when compared across ages in ex vivo high-resolution scans. We also demonstrate for the first-time, provocative preliminary data suggesting age-dependent MPIO uptake within the dentate gyrus (DG) as well. Histology to identify doublecortin-positive NPCs, verified the decrease in cell labeling as a function of aging, for both regions. The dramatic reduction of NPC labeling within the SVZ observed with MRI, validates the sensitivity of MRI-based cell tracking to neurogenic potential and demonstrates the importance of understanding the impact of age on the relationship of NPC and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shatadru Chakravarty
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Christiane L Mallett
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Alexander M Wolf
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Stacey M Forton
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Erik M Shapiro
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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Mallett CL, Shuboni-Mulligan DD, Shapiro EM. Tracking Neural Progenitor Cell Migration in the Rodent Brain Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Front Neurosci 2019; 12:995. [PMID: 30686969 PMCID: PMC6337062 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of neurogenesis and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is important across the biomedical spectrum, from learning about normal brain development and studying disease to engineering new strategies in regenerative medicine. In adult mammals, NPCs proliferate in two main areas of the brain, the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone, and continue to migrate even after neurogenesis has ceased within the rest of the brain. In healthy animals, NPCs migrate along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) from the SVZ to the olfactory bulb, and in diseased animals, NPCs migrate toward lesions such as stroke and tumors. Here we review how MRI-based cell tracking using iron oxide particles can be used to monitor and quantify NPC migration in the intact rodent brain, in a serial and relatively non-invasive fashion. NPCs can either be labeled directly in situ by injecting particles into the lateral ventricle or RMS, where NPCs can take up particles, or cells can be harvested and labeled in vitro, then injected into the brain. For in situ labeling experiments, the particle type, injection site, and image analysis methods have been optimized and cell migration toward stroke and multiple sclerosis lesions has been investigated. Delivery of labeled exogenous NPCs has allowed imaging of cell migration toward more sites of neuropathology, which may enable new diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for as-of-yet untreatable neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane L. Mallett
- Molecular and Cellular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Dorela D. Shuboni-Mulligan
- Molecular and Cellular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Erik M. Shapiro
- Molecular and Cellular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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Potential Therapeutic Mechanisms and Tracking of Transplanted Stem Cells: Implications for Stroke Treatment. Stem Cells Int 2017; 2017:2707082. [PMID: 28904531 PMCID: PMC5585684 DOI: 10.1155/2017/2707082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 07/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem cell therapy is a promising potential therapeutic strategy to treat cerebral ischemia in preclinical and clinical trials. Currently proposed treatments for stroke employing stem cells include the replacement of lost neurons and integration into the existing host circuitry, the release of growth factors to support and promote endogenous repair processes, and the secretion of extracellular vesicles containing proteins, noncoding RNA, or DNA to regulate gene expression in recipient cells and achieve immunomodulation. Progress has been made to elucidate the precise mechanisms underlying stem cell therapy and the homing, migration, distribution, and differentiation of transplanted stem cells in vivo using various imaging modalities. Noninvasive and safe tracer agents with high sensitivity and image resolution must be combined with long-term monitoring using imaging technology to determine the optimal therapy for stroke in terms of administration route, dosage, and timing. This review discusses potential therapeutic mechanisms of stem cell transplantation for the treatment of stroke and the limitations of current therapies. Methods to label transplanted cells and existing imaging systems for stem cell labeling and in vivo tracking will also be discussed.
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Kim SJ, Lewis B, Steiner MS, Bissa UV, Dose C, Frank JA. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for direct labeling of stem cells and in vivo MRI tracking. CONTRAST MEDIA & MOLECULAR IMAGING 2015; 11:55-64. [PMID: 26234504 DOI: 10.1002/cmmi.1658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
To develop effective stem cell therapies, it is important to track therapeutic cells non-invasively and monitor homing to areas of pathology. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate the labeling efficiency of commercially available dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, FeraTrack Direct (FTD), in various stem and immune cells; assess the cytotoxicity and tolerability of the FTD in stem cells; and monitor stem cell homing using FTD-labeled bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) and neural stem cells (NSCs) in a tumor model by in vivo MRI. BMSCs, NSCs, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), T-lymphocytes, and monocytes were labeled effectively with FTD without the need for transfection agents, and Prussian blue (PB) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed intracellular uptake of the agent. The viability, proliferation, and functionality of the labeled cells were minimally or not affected after labeling. When 10(6) FTD-labeled BMSCs or NSCs were injected into C6 glioma bearing nude mice, the cells homing to the tumors were detected as hypointense regions within the tumor using 3 T clinical MRI up to 10 days post injection. Histological analysis confirmed the homing of injected cells to the tumor by the presence of PB positive cells that are not macrophages. Labeling of stem cells or immune cells with FTD was non-toxic, and should facilitate the translation of this agent to clinical trials for evaluation of trafficking of cells by MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saejeong J Kim
- Frank Laboratory, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Bobbi Lewis
- Frank Laboratory, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Joseph A Frank
- Frank Laboratory, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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