INEB RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Finding and tracing human MSC in 3D microenvironments with the photoconvertible protein Dendra2

INEB researchers recently published an article in Scientific Reports, available since 14 May 2015. The article is entitled "Finding and tracing human MSC in 3D microenvironments with the photoconvertible protein Dendra2" and is authored by Hugo R. Cairesa, Maria Gomez-Lazaro, Carla M. Oliveira, David Gomes, Denisa D. Mateus, Carla Oliveira, Cristina C. Barrias, Mário A. Barbosa, Catarina R. Almeida.

In this study, we describe a new bioimaging method to track Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (MSC) in 3D microenvironments. MSC are a promising cell type for regenerative therapies but tools to study their movement in complex 3D matrices were lacking. Here, human MSC were transfected to express a fluorescent photoswitchable protein, Dendra2, which was used to highlight and follow the same group of cells for more than seven days, even if removed from the microscope to the incubator. This strategy provided reliable tracking in 3D microenvironments with different properties, including the hydrogels Matrigel and alginate as well as chitosan porous scaffolds. This platform thus provides a straightforward approach to characterize MSC dynamics in 3D and has applications in the field of stem cell biology and for the development of biomaterials for tissue regeneration.