Multimodality Imaging of Bone Marrow–Derived Dendritic Cell Migration and Antitumor Immunity1

• Published in: Translational oncology Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 262 - 270
• Main Authors: Ahn, Su-Bi, Lee, Sang Bong, Singh, Thoudam Debraj, Cho, Sung Jin, Kim, Sang Kyoon, Lee, In-Kyu, Jeong, Shin Young, Ahn, Byeong-Cheol, Lee, Jaetae, Lee, Sang-Woo, Jeon, Yong Hyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Neoplasia Press 16.02.2017
• Subjects: Original article
• ISSN: 1936-5233
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2017.01.003

Here, we sought to monitor bone marrow–derived dendritic cell (BMDC) migration and antitumor effects using a multimodal reporter imaging strategy in living mice. BMDCs were transduced with retroviral vector harboring human sodium iodide symporter ( hNIS , nuclear imaging reporter), firefly luc2 (optical imaging reporter), and thy1.1 (surrogate marker of NIS and luc2 ) genes (BMDC/NF cells). No significant differences in biological functions, including cell proliferation, antigen uptake, phenotype expression, and migration ability, were observed between BMDC and BMDC/NF cells. Combined bioluminescence imaging and I-124 positron emission tomography/computed tomography clearly revealed the migration of BMDC/NF cells to draining popliteal lymph nodes at day 7 postinjection. Interestingly, marked tumor protection was observed in mice immunized with TC-1 lysate-pulsed BMDC/NF cells. Our findings suggested that multimodal reporter gene imaging of NIS and luciferase could provide insights into the biological behaviors of dendritic cells in living organisms and could be a useful tool for the optimization of DC-based immunotherapy protocols.