E. coli nitroreductase NfsA is a reporter gene for non-invasive PET imaging in cancer gene therapy applications.

ABSTRACT: The use of reporter genes to non-invasively image molecular processes inside cells has significant translational potential, particularly in the context of systemically administered gene therapy vectors and adoptively administered cells such as immune or stem cell based therapies. Bacterial nitroreductase enzymes possess ideal properties for reporter gene imaging applications, being of non-human origin and possessing the ability to metabolize a range of clinically relevant nitro(hetero)cyclic substrates. Methods: A library of eleven Escherichia coli nitroreductase candidates were screened for the ability to efficiently metabolize 2-nitroimidazole based positron emission tomography (PET) probes originally developed as radiotracers for hypoxic cell imaging. Several complementary

SUBMITTER: Mowday AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7482819 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature