In Vivo Visualization of Stable Neuroblastoma Cell Lines with Overexpression of Firefly Luciferase or Far-Red Fluorescent Protein

The development of imaging techniques in the experimental oncology has made it possible to model and continuously monitor growth and development of tumors in vivo. For this purpose, fluorescent or bioluminescent proteins are most commonly introduced into the genome of target cells which in turn can be used to create xenograft tumor models. In our study, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were genetically modified with a firefly luciferase ffLuc gene or far-red fluorescent protein Katushka2S gene, and bioluminescence and fluorescence of obtained cells were analyzed in vitro. Then, produced cell lines were used to create xenograft tumor models in vivo. The bioluminescence and fluorescence of the obtained tumor models were evaluated in vivo. When evaluated in vitro, ffLuc bioluminescence was firstly detected within fewer number of SH-SY5Y cells compared to Katushka2S fluorescence. However, after in vivo administration, the fluorescence intensity of SH-SY5Y-Katushka2S cells was significantly higher than the bioluminescence intensity of the same number of SH-SY5Y-ffLuc cells. This may be due to the distribution and limited intracellular availability of a luciferase substrate, which is administered intraperitoneally, and requires further analysis.