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Wang L, Lee DJ, Han H, Zhao L, Tsukamoto H, Kim YI, Musicant AM, Parag-Sharma K, Hu X, Tseng HC, Chi JT, Wang Z, Amelio AL, Ko CC. Application of bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based cell tracking approach in bone tissue engineering. J Tissue Eng 2021; 12:2041731421995465. [PMID: 33643604 PMCID: PMC7894599 DOI: 10.1177/2041731421995465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) has emerged as a popular in vivo tracking modality in bone regeneration studies stemming from its clear advantages: non-invasive, real-time, and inexpensive. We recently adopted bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) principle to improve BLI cell tracking and generated the brightest bioluminescent signal known to date, which thus enables more sensitive real-time cell tracking at deep tissue level. In the present study, we brought BRET-based cell tracking strategy into the field of bone tissue engineering for the first time. We labeled rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) with our in-house BRET-based GpNLuc reporter and evaluated the cell tracking efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. In scaffold-free spheroid 3D culture system, using BRET-based GpNLuc labeling resulted in significantly better correlation to cell numbers than a fluorescence based approach. In scaffold-based 3D culture system, GpNLuc-rMSCs displayed robust bioluminescence signals with minimal background noise. Furthermore, a tight correlation between BLI signal and cell number highlighted the robust reliability of using BRET-based BLI. In calvarial critical sized defect model, robust signal and the consistency in cell survival evaluation collectively supported BRET-based GpNLuc labeling as a reliable approach for non-invasively tracking MSC. In summary, BRET-based GpNLuc labeling is a robust, reliable, and inexpensive real-time cell tracking method, which offers a promising direction for the technological innovation of BLI and even non-invasive tracking systems, in the field of bone tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lufei Wang
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dong Joon Lee
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Han Han
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Orthodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lixing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Orthodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hiroshi Tsukamoto
- Research & Development Center, Nitta Gelatin Inc., Yao-City, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yong-Il Kim
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Adele M Musicant
- Graduate Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kshitij Parag-Sharma
- Graduate Curriculum in Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xiangxiang Hu
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Henry C Tseng
- Duke Eye Center and Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jen-Tsan Chi
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for Genomics and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Zhengyan Wang
- Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Antonio L Amelio
- Division of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ching-Chang Ko
- Division of Orthodontics, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Columbus, OH, USA
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