This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1073858407309746v1 14/5/503    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Liu, P. K. Articles by Liu, C. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Liu, P. K. Articles by Liu, C. H. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information MRI Scans Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Transcription MRI: A New View of the Living Brain

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: philipl{at}nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.

	Abstract

Altered gene activities are underlying causes of many neurological disorders. The ability to detect, image, and report endogenous gene transcription using magnetic resonance (MR) holds great potential for providing significant clinical benefits. In this review, we present the development of conjugates consisting of gene-targeting short nucleic acids (oligodeoxynucleotides, or sODN) and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION, an MR susceptibility T₂ agent) for reporting gene activity using transcription MRI (tMRI). We will discuss 1) the target specificity of sODN, 2) selection of contrast agents for tMRI, 3) the distribution and uptake, 4) sequence specificity, 5) histology of SPION and sODN, 6) data acquisition and quantitative analysis for tMRI, and 7) application of gene transcript–targeting nanoparticles in biology and medicine. We will also discuss methods of validating the correlation between results from conventional assays (in situ hybridization, PCR, histology Prussian blue stain and immunohistochemistry) in postmortem samples and retention of SPION-sODN using tMRI. The application of our novel contrast probe to report and target gene transcripts in the mesolimbic pathways of living mouse brains after amphetamine exposure will be discussed. Because of the targeting ability in the nucleic acid sequence, the concept of tMRI probes with complementary nucleic acid (antisense DNA or short interfering RNA) allows not only tracking, targeting, binding to intracellular mRNA, and manipulating gene action but also tracing cells with specific gene action in living brains. Transcription MRI will lend itself to myriad applications in living organs. DOI: 10.1177/1073858407309746

First published on November 16, 2007, doi:10.1177/1073858407309746

The Neuroscientist 2008;14:503.

A more recent version of this article appeared on October 1, 2008


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. H. Liu, Z. You, C.-M. Liu, Y. R. Kim, M. J. Whalen, B. R. Rosen, and P. K. Liu Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reversal by Gene Knockdown of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Activities in Live Animal Brains J. Neurosci., March 18, 2009; 29(11): 3508 - 3517. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]