Molecular imaging of gene expression and efficacy following adenoviral-mediated brain tumor gene therapy

Cancer gene therapy is an active area of research relying upon the transfer and subsequent expression of a therapeutic transgene into tumor cells in order to provide for therapeutic selectivity. Noninvasive assessment of therapeutic response and correlation of the location, magnitude, and duration of transgene expression in vivo would be particularly useful in the development of cancer gene therapy protocols by facilitating optimization of gene transfer protocols, vector development, and prodrug dosing schedules. In this study, we developed an adenoviral vector containing both the therapeutic transgene yeast cytosine deaminase (yCD) along with an optical reporter gene (luciferase). Following intratumoral injection of the vector into orthotopic 9 L gliomas, anatomical and diffusion-weighted MR images were obtained over time in order to provide for quantitative assessment of overall therapeutic efficacy and spatial heterogeneity of cell kill, respectively. In addition, bioluminescence images were acquired to assess the duration and magnitude of gene expression. MR images revealed significant reduction in tumor growth rates associated with yCD/5-fluorocytosine (5FC) gene therapy. Significant increases in mean tumor diffusion values were also observed during treatment with 5FC. Moreover, spatial heterogeneity in tumor diffusion changes were also observed revealing that diffusion magnetic resonance imaging could detect regional therapeutic effects due to the nonuniform delivery and/or expression of the therapeutic yCD transgene within the tumor mass. In addition, in vivo bioluminescence imaging detected luciferase gene expression, which was found to decrease over time during administration of the prodrug providing a noninvasive surrogate marker for monitoring gene expression. These results demonstrate the efficacy of the yCD/5FC strategy for the treatment of brain tumors and reveal the feasibility of using multimodality molecular and functional imaging for assessment of gene expression and therapeutic efficacy.     

Transient and permanent gene transfer into the brain of the teleost fish medaka (Oryzias latipes) using human adenovirus and the Cre-loxP system

In this study, we demonstrated that human type-5 adenovirus infected the brain of the teleost fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), in vivo. Injection of adenoviral vector into the mesencephalic ventricle of medaka larvae induced the expression of reporter genes in some parts of the telencephalon, the periventricular area of the mesencephalon and diencephalon, and the cerebellum. Additionally, the Cre-loxP system works in medaka brains using transgenic medaka carrying a vector containing DsRed2, flanked by loxP sites under control of the β-actin promoter and downstream promoterless enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). We demonstrated that the presence of green fluorescence depended on injection of adenoviral vector expressing the Cre gene and confirmed that EGFP mRNA was transcribed in the virus-injected larvae.     

Micro-PET/CT monitoring of herpes thymidine kinase suicide gene therapy in a prostate cancer xenograft: the advantage of a cell-specific transcriptional targeting approach

Cancer gene therapy based on tissue-restricted expression of cytotoxic gene should achieve superior therapeutic index over an unrestricted method. This study compared the therapeutic effects of a highly augmented, prostate-specific gene expression method to a strong constitutive promoter-driven approach. Molecular imaging was coupled to gene therapy to ascertain real-time therapeutic activity. The imaging reporter gene (luciferase) and the cytotoxic gene (herpes simplex thymidine kinase) were delivered by adenoviral vectors injected directly into human prostate tumors grafted in SCID mice. Serial bioluminescence imaging, positron emission tomography, and computed tomography revealed restriction of gene expression to the tumors when prostate-specific vector was employed. In contrast, administration of constitutive active vector resulted in strong signals in the liver. Liver serology, tissue histology, and frail condition of animals confirmed liver toxicity suffered by the constitutive active cohorts, whereas the prostate-targeted group was unaffected. The extent of tumor killing was analyzed by apoptotic staining and human prostate marker (prostate-specific antigen). Overall, the augmented prostate-specific expression system was superior to the constitutive approach in safeguarding against systemic toxicity, while achieving effective tumor killing. Integrating noninvasive imaging into cytotoxic gene therapy will provide a useful strategy to monitor gene expression and therapeutic efficacy in future clinical protocols.     

An Optimized Triple Modality Reporter for Quantitative In Vivo Tumor Imaging and Therapy Evaluation

We present an optimized triple modality reporter construct combining a far-red fluorescent protein (E2-Crimson), enhanced firefly luciferase enzyme (Luc2), and truncated wild type herpes simplex virus I thymidine kinase (wttk) that allows for sensitive, long-term tracking of tumor growth in vivo by fluorescence, bioluminescence, and positron emission tomography. Two human cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cancer) were successfully transduced to express this triple modality reporter. Fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging of the triple modality reporter were used to accurately quantify the therapeutic responses of MDA-MB-231 tumors to the chemotherapeutic agent monomethyl auristatin E in vivo in athymic nude mice. Positive correlation was observed between the fluorescence and bioluminescence signals, and these signals were also positively correlated with the ex vivo tumor weights. This is the first reported use of both fluorescence and bioluminescence signals from a multi-modality reporter construct to measure drug efficacy in vivo.     

Proteomic analysis of reporter genes for molecular imaging of transplanted embryonic stem cells

Study of stem cells may reveal promising treatment for diseases. The fate and function of transplanted stem cells remain poorly defined. Recent studies demonstrate that reporter genes can monitor real-time survival of transplanted stem cells in living subjects. We examined the effects of a novel and versatile triple fusion (TF) reporter gene construction on embryonic stem (ES) cell function by proteomic analysis. Murine ES cells were stably transduced with a self-inactivating lentiviral vector containing fluorescence (firefly luciferase; Fluc), bioluminescence (monomeric red fluorescence protein; mRFP), and positron emission tomography (herpes simplex virus type 1 truncated thymidine kinase; tTK) reporter genes. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis isolated stably transduced populations. TF reporter gene effects on cellular function were evaluated by quantitative proteomic profiling of control ES cells versus ES cells stably expressing the TF construct (ES-TF). Overall, no significant changes in protein quantity were observed. TF reporter gene expression had no effect on ES cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation capability. Molecular imaging studies tracked ES-TF cell survival and proliferation in living animals. In summary, this is the first proteomic study, demonstrating the unique potential of reporter gene imaging for tracking ES cell transplantation non-invasively, repetitively, and quantitatively.     

EFGP and DsRed expressing cultures of Escherichia coli imaged by confocal, two-photon and fluorescence lifetime microscopy

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) has become an invaluable marker for monitoring protein localization and gene expression in vivo. Recently a new red fluorescent protein (drFP583 or DsRed), isolated from tropical corals, has been described [Matz, M.V. et al. (1999) Nature Biotech. 17, 969-973]. With emission maxima at 509 and 583 nm respectively, EGFP and DsRed are suited for almost crossover free dual color labeling upon simultaneous excitation. We imaged mixed populations of Escherichia coli expressing either EGFP or DsRed by one-photon confocal and by two-photon microscopy. Both excitation modes proved to be suitable for imaging cells expressing either of the fluorescent proteins. DsRed had an extended maturation time and E. coli expressing this fluorescent protein were significantly smaller than those expressing EGFP. In aging bacterial cultures DsRed appeared to aggregate within the cells, accompanied by a strong reduction in its fluorescence lifetime as determined by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.     

The expression level of luciferase within tumour cells can alter tumour growth upon in vivo bioluminescence imaging.

In vivo bioluminescence imaging is becoming a very important tool for the study of a variety of cellular and molecular events or disease processes in living systems. In vivo bioluminescence imaging is based on the detection of light emitted from within an animal. The light is generated as a product of the luciferase-luciferin reaction taking place in a cell. In this study, we implanted mice with tumour cells expressing either a high or a low level of luciferase. In vivo bioluminescence imaging was used to follow tumour progression. Repeated luciferin injection and imaging of high and low luciferase-expressing tumours was performed. While low luciferase-expressing tumours grew similarly to vector controls, growth of the high luciferase-expressing tumours was severely inhibited. The observation that a high level of luciferase expression will inhibit tumour cell growth when an animal is subjected to serial in vivo bioluminescence imaging is potentially an important factor in designing these types of studies.     

Real-time in vivo bioluminescence imaging of lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer in mouse testis

Although much research has focused on transferring exogenous genes into living mouse testis to investigate specific gene functions in spermatogenic, Sertoli, and Leydig cells, relatively little is known regarding real-time gene expression in vivo. In this study, we constructed a bicistronic lentiviral vector (LV) encoding firefly luciferase and enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP); this was a highly efficient in vivo gene transfer tool. After microinjecting LV into the seminiferous tubules the ICR mouse testis, we detected luciferase and EGFP expression in vivo and ex vivo in the injected tubules using bioluminescence imaging (BLI) with the IVIS-200 system and fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy (CellViZio), respectively. In addition, with an in vivo BLI system, luciferase expression in the testis was detected for ∼3 mo. Furthermore, EGFP expression in seminiferous tubules was confirmed in excised testes via three-dimensional fluorescent imaging with a confocal laser-scanning microscope. With immunostaining, EGFP expression was confirmed in several male germ cell types in the seminiferous tubules, as well as in Sertoli and Leydig cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated that real-time in vivo BLI analysis can be used to noninvasively (in vivo) monitor long-term luciferase expression in mouse testis, and we verified that EGFP expression is localized in seminiferous tubules after bicistronic LV-mediated gene transfer into mouse testes. Furthermore, we anticipate the future use of in vivo BLI technology for real-time study of specific genes involved in spermatogenesis.     

间充质干细胞双标记光学成像的体内试验研究

目的:验证双标记生物发光成像活体观测MSCs在肝癌裸鼠模型向肿瘤病灶的趋化作用的可行性。方法:应用fluorescence(荧光)与bioluminescence(生物发光)两种成像方法,对MSCs进行CM-Di I荧光标记及对人肝癌细胞Hep G2进行Fluc-慢病毒感染并由此建立裸鼠肝癌模型,构建双标记成像系统,应用精诺真小动物光学成像仪在裸鼠肝癌模型中观测间充质干细胞向肿瘤的趋化作用。结果:在鼠尾静脉注射标记MSCs细胞后21天荧光成像可见MSCs主要积聚于肿瘤病灶处及肝脏。生物发光成像后可监测到病灶处由luciferase标记肿瘤细胞(Hep G2)发出荧光;将荧光成像与生物发光成像所得图像经后处理融合后,可见证间充质干细胞像肿瘤病灶定向迁徙的生物过程。经肿瘤病理切片证实间充质干细胞成功迁徙至肿瘤病灶中。结论:应用间充质干细胞双标记光学成像系统实现MSCs在活体内对肿瘤的趋化过程进行观测是可行的。这种成像方法可作为下一步以MSCs为载体的肿瘤基因治疗的有效监测手段。     

Bioluminescence imaging after HSV amplicon vector delivery into brain

BACKGROUND: Firefly luciferase (Fluc) has routinely been used to quantitate and analyze gene expression in vitro by measuring the photons emitted after the addition of ATP and luciferin to a test sample. It is now possible to replace luminometer-based analysis of luciferase activity and measure luciferase activity delivered by viral vectors directly in live animals over time using digital imaging techniques. METHODS: An HSV amplicon vector expressing Fluc cDNA from an inducible promoter was delivered to cells in culture and into the mouse brain. In culture, expression of Fluc was measured after induction in a dose-dependent manner by a biochemical assay, and then confirmed by Western blot analysis and digital imaging. The vectors were then stereotactically injected into the mouse brain and Fluc expression measured non-invasively using bioluminescence imaging. RESULTS: Rapamycin-mediated induction of Fluc from an HSV amplicon vector in culture resulted in dose-dependent expression of Fluc when measured using a luminometer and by digital analysis. In mouse cortex, a single injection of an HSV amplicon vector (2 microl, 1x10(8) transducing units (t.u.)/ml) expressing Fluc from a viral promoter (CMV) was sufficient to detect robust luciferase activity for at least 1 week. Similarly, an HSV amplicon vector expressing Fluc under an inducible promoter was also detectable in the mouse cortex after a single dose (2 microl, 1x10(8) t.u./ml) for up to 5 days, with no detectable signal in the uninduced state. CONCLUSIONS: This HSV amplicon vector-based system allows for fast, non-invasive, semi-quantitative analysis of gene expression in the brain.     

荧光素酶标的人肝癌细胞裸鼠异种移植瘤模型的生物发光成像和PET-CT成像比较

目的利用荧光素酶基因标记的人肝癌细胞株BEL-7402建立裸鼠肝原位移植模型,及小鼠肝原位移植模型的生物发光和小动物PET-CT成像的比较。方法构建表达荧光素酶基因的真核表达载体并将其转入人肝癌细胞BEL-7402,经梯度浓度G418筛选获得稳定表达荧光素酶基因的细胞克隆并扩大培养。BALB/cA-nu裸鼠肝门静脉接种5×105个发光细胞使其成瘤,活体荧光成像和小动物PET-CT成像系统观察肿瘤的生长情况。结果获得了稳定表达Luc的人肝癌细胞株,将其接种到裸鼠体内,活体荧光成像系统观察发现能够成瘤,小动物PET-CT影像观察发现小鼠肝脏边缘对18 F-FDG有高摄取区域。结论利用荧光素酶基因标记的人肝癌细胞BEL-7402成功建立了原位肝癌裸鼠模型,小动物活体成像结合小动物PET-CT技术为原位肿瘤模型的建立提供了一种新的可靠的技术,为进一步研究肝癌生长转移机制和药物开发提供了新的有用工具。     

利用萤光素酶标记的肿瘤细胞建立肝癌原位移植模型及其活体成像

目的：利用生物发光成像技术非侵入性地监测活体裸鼠原位肝癌发展过程。方法：将包含有萤火虫萤光素酶基因的pCI-neo-Luc载体转染人肝癌HepG2细胞系,筛选获得具有高萤光素酶活性的细胞克隆;利用流式细胞仪对萤光素酶表达的稳定性进行初步研究,并分析细胞的生物发光情况;持续表达萤光素酶的肿瘤细胞培养扩增后被植入裸鼠皮下,2周后以形成的异体瘤作为供体瘤,进行肝脏原位移植手术;对建立的肝癌原位移植模型,用影像学资料显示肿瘤部位,用IVIS成像系统动态监测肿瘤生长情况。结果：体外影像的结果显示,表达萤光素酶细胞的数量与发光强度呈正相关;活体成像的结果显示。成功地建立了萤光素酶标记的原位肝癌动物模型。结论：生物发光成像可以监测活体内肝癌演进过程,为抗肿瘤药物的筛选和评价提供了新的手段和工具。     

Comparison of noninvasive fluorescent and bioluminescent small animal optical imaging

Optical imaging is a modality that is cost-effective, rapid, easy to use, and can be readily applied to studying disease processes and biology in vivo. For this study, we used a green fluorescent protein (GFP)- and luciferase-expressing mouse tumor model to compare and contrast the quantitative and qualitative capabilities of a fluorescent reporter gene (GFP) and a bioluminescent reporter gene (luciferase). We describe the relationship between tumor volume, tumor mass, and bioluminescent/fluorescent intensity for both GFP and luciferase. Bioluminescent luciferase imaging was shown to be more sensitive than fluorescent GFP imaging. Luciferase-expressing tumors were detected as early as 1 day after tumor cell inoculation, whereas GFP-expressing tumors were not detected until 7 days later. Both bioluminescent and fluorescent intensity correlated significantly and linearly with tumor volume and tumor weight, as measured by caliper. Compared to bioluminescent imaging, fluorescent imaging does not require the injection of a substrate and may be appropriate for applications where sensitivity is not as critical. Knowing the relative strengths of each imaging modality will be important in guiding the decision to use fluorescence or bioluminescence.     

Development and Validation of Non-Integrative,Self-Limited,and Replicating Minicircles for Safe Reporter Gene Imaging of Cell-Based Therapies

Reporter gene (RG) imaging of cell-based therapies provides a direct readout of therapeutic efficacy by assessing the fate of implanted cells. To permit long-term cellular imaging, RGs are traditionally required to be integrated into the cellular genome. This poses a potential safety risk and regulatory bottleneck for clinical translation as integration can lead to cellular transformation. To address this issue, we have developed non-integrative, replicating minicircles (MCs) as an alternative platform for safer monitoring of cells in living subjects. We developed both plasmids and minicircles containing the scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/MAR) of the human interferon-beta gene, driven by the CMV promoter, and expressing the bioluminescence RG firefly luciferase. Constructs were transfected into breast cancer cells, and expanded S/MAR minicircle clones showed luciferase signal for greater than 3 months in culture and minicircles remained as episomes. Importantly, luciferase activity in clonal populations was slowly lost over time and this corresponded to a loss of episome, providing a way to reversibly label cells. To monitor cell proliferation in vivo, 1.5×10⁶ cells carrying the S/MAR minicircle were implanted subcutaneously into mice (n = 5) and as tumors developed significantly more bioluminescence signal was noted at day 35 and 43 compared to day 7 post-implant (p<0.05). To our knowledge, this is the first work examining the use of episomal, self-limited, replicating minicircles to track the proliferation of cells using non-invasive imaging in living subjects. Continued development of S/MAR minicircles will provide a broadly applicable vector platform amenable with any of the numerous RG technologies available to allow therapeutic cell fate to be assessed in individual patients, and to achieve this without the need to manipulate the cell''s genome so that safety concerns are minimized. This will lead to safe tools to assess treatment response at earlier time points and improve the precision of cell-based therapies.     

Non-destructive detection of firefly luciferase (LUC) activity in single plant cells using a cooled, slow-scan CCD camera and an optimized assay

A flexible, comparatively inexpensive system based on a liquid nitrogen-cooled slow-scan CCD (charge coupled device) camera is presented, which can be employed for quantitative low-light (bioluminescence, chemiluminescence or fluorescence) imaging. Using this camera system and the firefly luciferase (LUC) as a screenable marker, transgenic tobacco lines have been produced by direct gene transfer. Bioluminescence emitted from single tobacco cells transiently expressing the firefly luciferase gene (Luc) as well as from stably transformed calli, regenerated shoots, plantlets and T₁ seedlings could be monitored in vivo with no effect on the viability of the material analysed. The patterns of light emission from sections through Luc -expressing leaves and bioluminescent single protoplasts isolated from such leaves were also imaged microscopically. The assay used to detect in vivo LUC activity was optimized by quantifying bioluminescence emitted from Luc -expressing tobacco protoplasts and leaves incubated in different substrate solutions and determining the kinetics of light emission during incubation in the substrate solution.     

Intravenously Administered Alphavirus Vector VA7 Eradicates Orthotopic Human Glioma Xenografts in Nude Mice

Background

VA7 is a neurotropic alphavirus vector based on an attenuated strain of Semliki Forest virus. We have previously shown that VA7 exhibits oncolytic activity against human melanoma xenografts in immunodeficient mice. The purpose of this study was to determine if intravenously administered VA7 would be effective against human glioma.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In vitro, U87, U251, and A172 human glioma cells were infected and killed by VA7-EGFP. In vivo, antiglioma activity of VA7 was tested in Balb/c nude mice using U87 cells stably expressing firefly luciferase in subcutaneous and orthotopic tumor models. Intravenously administered VA7-EGFP completely eradicated 100% of small and 50% of large subcutaneous U87Fluc tumors. A single intravenous injection of either VA7-EGFP or VA7 expressing Renilla luciferase (VA7-Rluc) into mice bearing orthotopic U87Fluc tumors caused a complete quenching of intracranial firefly bioluminescence and long-term survival in total 16 of 17 animals. In tumor-bearing mice injected with VA7-Rluc, transient intracranial and peripheral Renilla bioluminescence was observed. Virus was well tolerated and no damage to heart, liver, spleen, or brain was observed upon pathological assessment at three and ninety days post injection, despite detectable virus titers in these organs during the earlier time point.

Conclusion

VA7 vector is apathogenic and can enter and destroy brain tumors in nude mice when administered systemically. This study warrants further elucidation of the mechanism of tumor destruction and attenuation of the VA7 virus.     

The influence of hypoxia on bioluminescence in luciferase-transfected gliosarcoma tumor cells in vitro

Firefly luciferase catalyzes the emission of light from luciferin in the presence of oxygen and adenosine triphosphate. This bioluminescence is commonly employed in imaging mode to monitor tumor growth and treatment responses in vivo. A potential concern is that, since solid tumors are often hypoxic, either constitutively and/or as a result of treatment, the oxygen available for the bioluminescence reaction could be reduced to limiting levels, leading to underestimation of the actual number of luciferase-labeled cells during in vivo experiments. We present studies of the oxygen dependence of bioluminescence in vitro in rat 9 L gliosarcoma cells tagged with the firefly luciferase gene (9L(luc)). We demonstrate that the bioluminescence signal decreases at pO(2) 相似文献   

Noninvasive bioluminescence imaging in small animals

There has been a rapid growth of bioluminescence imaging applications in small animal models in recent years, propelled by the availability of instruments, analysis software, reagents, and creative approaches to apply the technology in molecular imaging. Advantages include the sensitivity of the technique as well as its efficiency, relatively low cost, and versatility. Bioluminescence imaging is accomplished by sensitive detection of light emitted following chemical reaction of the luciferase enzyme with its substrate. Most imaging systems provide 2-dimensional (2D) information in rodents, showing the locations and intensity of light emitted from the animal in pseudo-color scaling. A 3-dimensional (3D) capability for bioluminescence imaging is now available, but is more expensive and less efficient; other disadvantages include the requirement for genetically encoded luciferase, the injection of the substrate to enable light emission, and the dependence of light signal on tissue depth. All of these problems make it unlikely that the method will be extended to human studies. However, in small animal models, bioluminescence imaging is now routinely applied to serially detect the location and burden of xenografted tumors, or identify and measure the number of immune or stem cells after an adoptive transfer. Bioluminescence imaging also makes it possible to track the relative amounts and locations of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens over time. Specialized applications of bioluminescence also follow tissue-specific luciferase expression in transgenic mice, and monitor biological processes such as signaling or protein interactions in real time. In summary, bioluminescence imaging has become an important component of biomedical research that will continue in the future.     

Long-term tracing of adenoviral expression in rat and rabbit using luciferase imaging

BACKGROUND: Luciferase optical imaging provides a novel method to monitor transgene expression in small living animals. As the genetic and immunological heritages of particular animals significantly affect the expression of adenovirus-delivered transgenes, it is essential to know the expression patterns specific to athymic nude and Sprague-Dawley rats, two strains commonly used in rodent models. In this study we set out to determine these patterns. At the same time, we tested luciferase optical imaging in a larger animal, the rabbit. METHODS: A recombinant luciferase adenoviral vector was injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly into athymic nude rats, Sprague-Dawley rats, and Dutch Belted rabbits. The luciferase expression was assessed using a cooled charge-coupled device. RESULTS: The luminescent signal was capable of passing through at least 1.3 cm of muscle tissue and proved to be much stronger when luciferin was delivered via a local injection than by an intraperitoneal injection. Although the types of immune cells differed between immunodeficient and immunocompetent rats, similar amounts and patterns of luciferase expression were observed in the musculature in two rat strains during the 1st month after a viral intramuscular injection. The duration of luciferase expression was longer than 15 months in athymic nude rats, 9 months in Sprague-Dawley rats, and 6 months in rabbits following a direct viral injection. CONCLUSIONS: Luciferase expression after adenoviral gene delivery can persist for longer than 6 months, even in immunocompetent animals. Live imaging of luciferase expression can be performed not only in small animals, but also in larger animals such as rabbits.     

Evaluation of the reversal of multidrug resistance by MDR1 ribonucleic acid interference in a human colon cancer model using a Renilla luciferase reporter gene and coelenterazine

The reversal effect of multidrug resistance (MDR1) gene expression by adenoviral vector-mediated MDR1 ribonucleic acid interference was assessed in a human colon cancer animal model using bioluminescent imaging with Renilla luciferase (Rluc) gene and coelenterazine, a substrate for Rluc or MDR1 gene expression. A fluorescent microscopic examination demonstrated an increased green fluorescent protein signal in Ad-shMDR1- (recombinant adenovirus that coexpressed MDR1 small hairpin ribonucleic acid [shRNA] and green fluorescent protein) infected HCT-15/Rluc cells in a virus dose-dependent manner. Concurrently, with an increasing administered virus dose (0, 15, 30, 60, and 120 multiplicity of infection), Rluc activity was significantly increased in Ad-shMDR1-infected HCT-15/Rluc cells in a virus dose-dependent manner. In vivo bioluminescent imaging showed about 7.5-fold higher signal intensity in Ad-shMDR1-infected tumors than in control tumors (p < .05). Immunohistologic analysis demonstrated marked reduction of P-glycoprotein expression in infected tumor but not in control tumor. In conclusion, the reversal of MDR1 gene expression by MDR1 shRNA was successfully evaluated by bioluminescence imaging with Rluc activity using an in vivo animal model with a multidrug resistance cancer xenograft.