Bioluminescent Imaging of Breast Tumor Progression in a Female Mouse Model

Begin with a female mouse injected with luciferase-expressing breast tumor cells.

The tumor cells proliferate at the injection site and develop into a primary tumor.

Place the mouse in an imaging chamber with an anesthetic flow to anesthetize the mouse.

Then, inject luciferin, a substrate for luciferase, into the anesthetized mouse.

Luciferin circulates and enters the tumor cells, reacting with luciferase to emit bioluminescence.

Using the imaging system, capture the bioluminescence signal from the mouse.

Over time, the tumor progresses at the primary site and metastasizes to the lungs.

Acquire the mouse image at regular intervals and define regions of interest.

Based on the bioluminescence intensities, construct tumor growth kinetics for both sites.

Over time, a steady increase in signal at the primary tumor site indicates continuous tumor proliferation.

However, a sharp rise in lung bioluminescence at later time points suggests tumor cell metastasis.

To begin, maintain the 4T1 cell line in the supplemented Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium or DMEM. Incubate the cells at 37 degrees Celsius in a humidified atmosphere containing 5 percent carbon dioxide.

Transfect the 4T1 cell line with the Luc2