EndoGRO ^®Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC)

Expression of genetically-encoded fluorescently-tagged proteins has widely been employed for real-time visualization of cellular behavior and trafficking. Prepackaged, ready-to-use, high-titer lentiviral particles (which we have termed “lentiviral biosensors”) encoding GFP- or RFP-tagged proteins are a convenient, robust solution for fluorescent imaging of transduced cells. Compared to other nonviral transfection methods, lentiviral transduction, in many cases, offers higher transfection efficiency and more homogeneous protein expression, particularly for traditionally hard-to-transfect primary cell types. Lentiviral biosensors are ideal for use with fixed and live cell fluorescent microscopy, and are non-disruptive towards cellular function. GFP- or RFP-protein localization matches well with antibody-based immunostaining and demonstrates altered patterns of expression upon treatment with modulators of cell function and phenotype. Lentiviral biosensors provide a broadly effective, convenient method for visualization of cell behavior under a variety of physiological and pathological treatment conditions, in both endpoint and real-time imaging modalities. In this study, we focus on lentiviral biosensors containing GFP-LC3 and RFP-LC3 for the study of autophagosome formation.

Cell sorting based on RNA detection in living cells using SmartFlare™ RNA Detection Reagents. The ability to detect and separate live cells based on the level of a specific RNA target provides a new opportunity to study cellular functions and identify rare cell types such as certain tumor cells and cancer stem cells. This technology enables the sorting of cell populations that were previously difficult to sort, and improves sorting accuracy by using biologically relevant intracellular markers.