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Bowden GD, Stotz S, Dunkel G, Haas S, Kimmerle E, Schaller M, Weigelin B, Herfert K, Pichler BJ, Maurer A. [ 18F] pFBC, a Covalent CLIP-Tag Radiotracer for Detection of Viral Reporter Gene Transfer in the Murine Brain. Bioconjug Chem 2024; 35:254-264. [PMID: 38308817 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Preclinical models of neurological diseases and gene therapy are essential for neurobiological research. However, the evaluation of such models lacks reliable reporter systems for use with noninvasive imaging methods. Here, we report the development of a reporter system based on the CLIP-tag enzyme and [18F]pFBC, an 18F-labeled covalent CLIP-tag-ligand synthesized via a DoE-optimized and fully automated process. We demonstrated its specificity using a subcutaneous xenograft model and a model of viral vector-mediated brain gene transfer by engineering HEK293 cells and striatal neurons to express membrane-tethered CLIP-tag protein. After in vitro characterization of the reporter, mice carrying either CLIP-tag expressing or control subcutaneous xenografts underwent dynamic [18F]pFBC PET imaging. The CLIP-tag expressing xenografts showed a significantly higher uptake than control xenografts (tumor-to-muscle ratio 5.0 vs 1.7, p = 0.0379). In vivo, metabolite analysis by radio-HPLC from plasma and brain homogenates showed only one radio-metabolite in plasma and none in the brain. In addition, [18F]pFBC showed fast uptake and rapid clearance from the brain in animals injected with adeno-associated virus (AAV)-CLIP in the right striatum but no right-to-left (R-L) uptake difference in the striata in the acquired PET data. In contrast, autoradiography showed a clear accumulation of radioactivity in the AAV-CLIP-injected right striatum compared to the sham-injected left striatum control. CLIP-tag expression and brain integrity were verified by immunofluorescence and light sheet microscopy. In conclusion, we established a novel reporter gene system for PET imaging of gene expression in the brain and periphery and demonstrated its potential for a wide range of applications, particularly for neurobiological research and gene therapy with viral vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D Bowden
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Sophie Stotz
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Gina Dunkel
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Sabrina Haas
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Elena Kimmerle
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Martin Schaller
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Bettina Weigelin
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Kristina Herfert
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Bernd J Pichler
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Maurer
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
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Thankarajan E, Oz S, Saady A, Kulbitski K, Kompanets MO, Eisen MS, Berlin S. SNAP-Tag-Targeted MRI-Fluorescent Multimodal Probes. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300172. [PMID: 37092744 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful imaging modality, widely employed in research and clinical settings. However, MRI images suffer from low signals and a lack of target specificity. We aimed to develop a multimodal imaging probe to detect targeted cells by MRI and fluorescence microscopy. We synthesized a trifunctional imaging probe consisting of a SNAP-tag substrate for irreversible and specific labelling of cells, cyanine dyes for bright fluorescence, and a chelated GdIII molecule for enhancing MRI contrast. Our probes exhibit specific and efficient labelling of genetically defined cells (expressing SNAP-tag at their membrane), bright fluorescence and MRI signal. Our synthetic approach provides a versatile platform for the production of multimodal imaging probes, particularly for light microscopy and MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebaston Thankarajan
- Department of Neuroscience, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3525422, Israel
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Shimrit Oz
- Department of Neuroscience, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3525422, Israel
| | - Abed Saady
- Department of Neuroscience, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3525422, Israel
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
- Present address: School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Kseniya Kulbitski
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Mykhail O Kompanets
- L.M. Litvinenko Institute of Physico-Organic Chemistry and Coal Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 02660, Ukraine
| | - Moris S Eisen
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Shai Berlin
- Department of Neuroscience, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3525422, Israel
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Rösner L, Konken CP, Depke DA, Rentmeister A, Schäfers M. Covalent labeling of immune cells. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2022; 68:102144. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Lu C, Wang X, Wang Q, Zhang L, Lin J, Qiu L. Development of a Promising 18F-Radiotracer for PET Imaging Legumain Activity In Vivo. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15050543. [PMID: 35631369 PMCID: PMC9145320 DOI: 10.3390/ph15050543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Legumain has been found overexpressed in several cancers, which serves as an important biomarker for cancer diagnosis. In this research, a novel fluorine-18 labeled radioactive tracer [18F]SF-AAN targeting legumain was designed and synthesized for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Nonradioactive probe [19F]SF-AAN was obtained through chemical and solid phase peptide synthesis. After a simple one-step 18F labeling, the radiotracer [18F]SF-AAN was obtained with a high radiochemical conversion rate (>85%) and radiochemical purity (99%) as well as high molar activity (12.77 ± 0.50 MBq/nmol). The targeting specificity of [18F]SF-AAN for detecting legumain activity was investigated systematically in vitro and in vivo. In vitro cellular uptake assay showed that the uptake of [18F]SF-AAN in legumain-positive MDA-MB-468 cells was twice as much as that in legumain-negative PC-3 cells at 4 h. In vivo PET imaging revealed that the tumor uptake of [18F]SF-AAN in MDA-MB-468 tumor-bearing mice was about 2.7 times of that in PC-3 tumor-bearing mice at 10 min post injection. The experimental results indicated that [18F]SF-AAN could serve as a promising PET tracer for detecting the legumain expression sensitively and specifically, which would be beneficial for the diagnosis of legumain-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunmei Lu
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (C.L.); (X.W.); (Q.W.)
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, China;
| | - Xiuting Wang
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (C.L.); (X.W.); (Q.W.)
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, China;
| | - Qiqi Wang
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (C.L.); (X.W.); (Q.W.)
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, China;
| | - Lixia Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, China;
| | - Jianguo Lin
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, China;
- Correspondence: (J.L.); (L.Q.); Tel.: +86-0510-8551-4482-3505 (J.L.)
| | - Ling Qiu
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (C.L.); (X.W.); (Q.W.)
- NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi 214063, China;
- Correspondence: (J.L.); (L.Q.); Tel.: +86-0510-8551-4482-3505 (J.L.)
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Liu D, Shu X, Xiang S, Li T, Huang C, Cheng M, Cao J, Hua Y, Liu J. N4 -allyldeoxycytidine: A New DNA Tag with Chemical Sequencing Power for Pinpointing Labelling Sites, Mapping Epigenetic Mark, and in situ Imaging. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200143. [PMID: 35438823 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
DNA tagging with base analogs has found numerous applications. To precisely record the DNA labelling information, it will be highly beneficial to develop chemical sequencing tags that can be encoded into DNA as regular bases and decoded as mutant bases upon a mild, efficient and bioorthognal chemical treatment. Here we reported such a DNA tag, N4-allyldeoxycytidine (a4dC), to label and identify DNA by in vitro assays. The iodination of a4dC led to fast and complete formation of 3, N4-cyclized deoxycytidine, which induced base misincorporation during DNA replication and thus could be located at single base resolution. We explored the applications of a4dC in pinpointing DNA labelling sites at single base resolution, mapping epigenetic mark N4-methyldeoxycytidine, and imaging nucleic acids in situ. In addition, mammalian cellular DNA could be metabolically labelled with a4dC. Together,our study sheds light on the design of next generation DNA tags with chemical sequencing power.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghong Liu
- Zhejiang University, Department of polymer science and engineering, CHINA
| | - Xiao Shu
- Zhejiang University, Department of polymer science and engineering, CHINA
| | - Siying Xiang
- Zhejiang University, Department of polymer science and engineering, CHINA
| | - Tengwei Li
- Zhejiang University, Department of polymer science and engineering, CHINA
| | - Chenyang Huang
- Zhejiang University, Department of polymer science and engineering, CHINA
| | - Mohan Cheng
- Zhejiang University, Department of polymer science and engineering, CHINA
| | - Jie Cao
- Zhejiang University, Life Sciences Institute; Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, CHINA
| | - Yuejin Hua
- Zhejiang University, he MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection; Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, CHINA
| | - Jianzhao Liu
- Zhejiang University, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zheda road 38, 310007, hangzhou, CHINA
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