Detection of colonic dysplasia in vivo using a targeted heptapeptide and confocal microendoscopy

A combination of targeted probes and new imaging technologies provides a powerful set of tools with the potential to improve the early detection of cancer. To develop a probe for detecting colon cancer, we screened phage display peptide libraries against fresh human colonic adenomas for high-affinity ligands with preferential binding to premalignant tissue. We identified a specific heptapeptide sequence, VRPMPLQ, which we synthesized, conjugated with fluorescein and tested in patients undergoing colonoscopy. We imaged topically administered peptide using a fluorescence confocal microendoscope delivered through the instrument channel of a standard colonoscope. In vivo images were acquired at 12 frames per second with 50-microm working distance and 2.5-microm (transverse) and 20-microm (axial) resolution. The fluorescein-conjugated peptide bound more strongly to dysplastic colonocytes than to adjacent normal cells with 81% sensitivity and 82% specificity. This methodology represents a promising diagnostic imaging approach for the early detection of colorectal cancer and potentially of other epithelial malignancies.     

Characterization of coelenterazine analogs for measurements of Renilla luciferase activity in live cells and living animals

In vivo imaging of bioluminescent reporters relies on expression of light-emitting enzymes, luciferases, and delivery of chemical substrates to expressing cells. Coelenterazine (CLZN) is the substrate for a group of bioluminescent enzymes obtained from marine organisms. At present, there are more than 10 commercially available CLZN analogs. To determine which analog is most suitable for activity measurements in live cells and living animals, we characterized 10 CLZN analogs using Renilla luciferase (Rluc) as the reporter enzyme. For each analog, we monitored enzyme activity, auto-oxidation, and efficiency of cellular uptake. All CLZN analogs tested showed higher auto-oxidation signals in serum than was observed in phosphate buffer or medium, mainly as a result of auto-oxidation by binding to albumin. CLZN-f, -h, and -e analogs showed 4- to 8-fold greater Rluc activity, relative to CLZN-native, in cells expressing the enzyme from a stable integrant. In studies using living mice expressing Rluc in hepatocytes, administration of CLZN-e and -native produced the highest signal. Furthermore, distinct temporal differences in signal for each analog were revealed following intravenous or intraperitoneal delivery. We conclude that the CLZN analogs that are presently available vary with respect to hRluc utilization in culture and in vivo, and that the effective use of CLZN-utilizing enzymes in living animals depends on the selection of an appropriate substrate.     

A Real-Time Clinical Endoscopic System for Intraluminal,Multiplexed Imaging of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Nanoparticles

The detection of biomarker-targeting surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles (NPs) in the human gastrointestinal tract has the potential to improve early cancer detection; however, a clinically relevant device with rapid Raman-imaging capability has not been described. Here we report the design and in vivo demonstration of a miniature, non-contact, opto-electro-mechanical Raman device as an accessory to clinical endoscopes that can provide multiplexed molecular data via a panel of SERS NPs. This device enables rapid circumferential scanning of topologically complex luminal surfaces of hollow organs (e.g., colon and esophagus) and produces quantitative images of the relative concentrations of SERS NPs that are present. Human and swine studies have demonstrated the speed and simplicity of this technique. This approach also offers unparalleled multiplexing capabilities by simultaneously detecting the unique spectral fingerprints of multiple SERS NPs. Therefore, this new screening strategy has the potential to improve diagnosis and to guide therapy by enabling sensitive quantitative molecular detection of small and otherwise hard-to-detect lesions in the context of white-light endoscopy.     

Quantifying Cell-Surface Biomarker Expression in Thick Tissues with Ratiometric Three-Dimensional Microscopy

The burgeoning fields of in vivo three-dimensional (3D) microscopy and endomicroscopy, as well as ex vivo tissue cytometry have introduced new challenges for tissue preparation and staining with exogenous molecular contrast agents. These challenges include effective delivery of the agents, and once delivered, distinguishing between bound verses unbound molecular probes. If applied topically, there are additional issues with rinsing off unbound probe, which can be nonuniform and inefficient in thick tissues, thus leading to ambiguous contrast and a large nonspecific background that may obscure molecule-specific staining. Therefore, we have developed a ratiometric 3D microscopy scheme that not only reduces the effects of nonspecific sources of contrast, but also enables quantification of the relative binding affinity of imaging probes to their biomarker targets. Here we demonstrate this ratiometric approach by simultaneously imaging a HER2/neu (erbB2)-targeted monoclonal antibody labeled with one fluorophore and an isotype-matched negative control antibody labeled with another fluorophore. By taking a pixel-by-pixel calibrated ratio between the signals from each fluorescent image channel, accurate quantification of specific versus nonspecific binding affinity is achieved with cultured cells, yielding data that are in agreement with analyses via flow cytometry. We also demonstrate quantitative 3D microscopic imaging of biomarker expression in tissue models and in thick human biopsy samples of normal, HER2-negative, and HER2-positive breast tumors. This strategy enables rapid, quantitative, and unambiguous volumetric microscopy of biomarker expression in thick tissues, including whole biopsies, and will enable real-time optical assessment of disease markers in the living body.     

Breaching biological barriers: protein translocation domains as tools for molecular imaging and therapy

The lipid bilayer of a cell presents a significant barrier for the delivery of many molecular imaging reagents into cells at target sites in the body. Protein translocation domains (PTDs) are peptides that breach this barrier. Conjugation of PTDs to imaging agents can be utilized to facilitate the delivery of these agents through the cell wall, and in some cases, into the cell nucleus, and have potential for in vitro and in vivo applications. PTD imaging conjugates have included small molecules, peptides, proteins, DNA, metal chelates, and magnetic nanoparticles. The full potential of the use of PTDs in novel in vivo molecular probes is currently under investigation. Cells have been labeled in culture using magnetic nanoparticles derivatized with a PTD and monitored in vivo to assess trafficking patterns relative to cells expressing a target antigen. In vivo imaging of PTD-mediated gene transfer to cells of the skin has been demonstrated in living animals. Here we review several natural and synthetic PTDs that have evolved in the quest for easier translocation across biological barriers and the application of these peptide domains to in vivo delivery of imaging agents.     

Adipose-derived adult stromal cells heal critical-size mouse calvarial defects

In adults and children over two years of age, large cranial defects do not reossify successfully, posing a substantial biomedical burden. The osteogenic potential of bone marrow stromal (BMS) cells has been documented. This study investigates the in vivo osteogenic capability of adipose-derived adult stromal (ADAS) cells, BMS cells, calvarial-derived osteoblasts and dura mater cells to heal critical-size mouse calvarial defects. Implanted, apatite-coated, PLGA scaffolds seeded with ADAS or BMS cells produced significant intramembranous bone formation by 2 weeks and areas of complete bony bridging by 12 weeks as shown by X-ray analysis, histology and live micromolecular imaging. The contribution of implanted cells to new bone formation was 84-99% by chromosomal detection. These data show that ADAS cells heal critical-size skeletal defects without genetic manipulation or the addition of exogenous growth factors.     

Epigenetic effectiveness of complete carcinogens: specific interactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and aminoazo dyes with cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I

During a co-precipitation of cholesterol (Chol) and slight amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or aminoazo dyes (AZOs) in aqueous albumin solution, complex particles are formed; on their surfaces apolipoproteins with an amphipathic alpha-helix (e.g. apoA-I) are more or less firmly adsorbed. An efficacy index can be calculated from the strength of the hydrophobic interactions between apoA-I and the [Chol/PAH]- or [Chol/AZO]-complex, and the solubility of the PAH or AZO in an aqueous medium, which correlates to the carcinogenicity of these compounds. A short-term test for PAHs and AZOs is described, in which the efficacy index can be determined in the simplest manner without any great expenditure on equipment. The previous results suggest that the parent compounds of the PAHs and AZOs can be involved in a specific interaction with cholesterol-domains of the plasma membrane of a cell. The changes in membrane fluidity and architecture caused by these specific interactions could modulate the distribution and/or activity of membrane proteins which are critical to the regulation of cellular proliferation.     

Signal Transduction Protocols (R. C. Dickson and M. D. Mendenhall (eds.), in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Methods in Molecular Biology</Emphasis>, Vol. 284, J. M. Walker (Series Editor), Humana Press,Totowa-New Jersey, 2004, 327 p., $ 99.50)

Book Review

Signal Transduction Protocols (R. C. Dickson and M. D. Mendenhall (eds.), in Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 284, J. M. Walker (Series Editor), Humana Press, Totowa-New Jersey, 2004, 327 p., $ 99.50)     

Noninvasive monitoring of pneumococcal meningitis and evaluation of treatment efficacy in an experimental mouse model

Noninvasive real-time in vivo bioluminescent imaging was used to assess the spread of Streptococcus pneumoniae throughout the spinal cord and brain during the acute stages of bacterial meningitis. A mouse model was established by lumbar (LP) or intracisternal (IC) injection of bioluminescent S. pneumoniae into the subarachnoid space. Bacteria replicated initially at the site of inoculation and spread progressively from the spinal cord to the brain or from the brain down to the cervical part of the spinal column and to the lower vertebral levels. After 24 hr, animals showed strong bioluminescent signals throughout the spinal canal, indicating acute meningitis of the intracranial and intraspinal meninges. A decline in bacterial cell viability, as judged by a reduction in the bioluminescent signal, was observed over time in animals treated with ceftriaxone, but not in untreated groups. Mice treated with the antibiotic survived infection, whereas all mice in untreated groups became moribund, first in the IC group then in the LP group. No untreated animal survived beyond 48 hr after induction of infection. Colony counts of infected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) correlated positively with bioluminescent signals. This methodology is especially appealing because it allows detecting infected mice as early as 3 hr after inoculation, provide temporal, sequential, and spatial distribution of bacteria within the brain and spinal cord throughout the entire disease process and the rapid monitoring of treatment efficacy in a nondestructive manner. Moreover, it avoids the need to sacrifice the animals for CSF sampling and the potential manipulative damage that can occur with other conventional methods.