Imaging Transgenic Nude Mice Expressing Spectrally-distinct Fluorescent Reporters Emitting From Blue to Far Red Light With One Instrument With Single-nanometer-tuning of Laser-excitation Fluorescence.

Background/aim: Transgenic nude mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), red fluorescent protein (RFP), or cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) were previously developed by our laboratory, AntiCancer Inc. In the present study, we demonstrate imaging of the GFP, RFP, or CFP nude mice with single-nanometer-tuning laser fluorescence excitation with a single instrument.

Materials and methods: Female transgenic C57/B6 nude GFP, RFP, and CFP mice aged six weeks were used. The images were obtained using the UVP Biospectrum Advanced system (Analytik Jena US LLC) with excitation at 480 nm and peak emission at 513 nm for GFP; 520 nm and 605 nm, respectively, for RFP; and 405 nm and 480 nm, respectively, for CFP.

Results: For each color transgenic fluorescent mouse, images without background could be obtained individually with the UVP Biospectrum Advanced system.

Conclusion: Using a single instrument, brilliant and well-defined images of GFP, RFP, and CFP mice were obtained with single-nanometer-tuning laser fluorescence excitation. This imaging system will be used in future studies to analyze cancer cells in the colored mice that are spectrally distinct in order to determine how stromal cells and cancer interact in the tumor microenvironment.