Expression of acoustic reporters in human induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC)-derived oxytocin neurons for non-invasive gene expression imaging.
The expression of acoustic reporters in human induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC)-derived oxytocin neurons enables non-invasive gene expression imaging of these acoustic reporters.
The goal of this project was to express acoustic reporters (gas vesicles, GVs) in human induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC)-derived oxytocin neurons under the control of the oxytocin promoter. This in turn enables non-invasive gene expression imaging of these acoustic reporters in oxytocin neurons, which would be the first report of a gene whose endogenous gene expression would be measured non-invasively.
Using the funding of the ExploreTech! grant we indeed succeeded in generating lentiviral constructs that enabled selection of IPSCs containing plasmids essential for GV gene expression under the oxytocin promoter. While we did not succeed yet in measuring oxytocin gene expression non-invasively, we are optimistic that we will be able to do so in near future by using an ultrasound device we recently acquired thanks to the funding of the Health Alliance.
A. Proof-of concept that gas vesicles (GVs) can be expressed in eukaryotic cells. Electron-microscopy (EM) images generated in collaboration with Yannick Schwab and Rachel Mellwig from EMCF Heidelberg.
B. Established selection of cells that express both GV plasmids.
C. Future ultrasound imaging of endogenous oxytocin expression.
The figure was created by Eduard Maier and contains adapted elements from Hurt et al. 2023.