In vivo cytometry of antigen-specific t cells using 19F MRI

✍ Scribed by Mangala Srinivas; Michael S. Turner; Jelena M. Janjic; Penelope A. Morel; David H. Laidlaw; Eric T. Ahrens

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 687 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.22063

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Noninvasive methods to image the trafficking of phenotypically defined immune cells are paramount as we attempt to understand adaptive immunity. A ^19^F MRI‐based methodology for tracking and quantifying cells of a defined phenotype is presented. These methods were applied to a murine inflammation model using antigen‐specific T cells. The T cells that were intracellularly labeled ex vivo with a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) nanoemulsion and cells were transferred to a host receiving a localized inoculation of antigen. Longitudinal ^19^F MRI over 21 days revealed a dynamic accumulation and clearance of T cells in the lymph node (LN) draining the antigen. The apparent T‐cell numbers were calculated in the LN from the time‐lapse ^19^F MRI data. The effect of in vivo T‐cell division on the ^19^F MRI cell quantification accuracy was investigated using fluorescence assays. Overall, in vivo cytometry using PFPE labeling and ^19^F MRI is broadly applicable to studies of whole‐body cell biodistribution. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.