Tracking the rejection and survival of mouse ovarian iso- and allografts in vivo with bioluminescent imaging

The applications of in vivo bioluminescent imaging (BLI) with a luciferase reporter gene occur widely across biomedical fields. Luciferase-transgenic mice are highly useful donors for tracking transplanted ovarian tissues. Realizing the full potential of this system may greatly benefit the study of the physiological behaviour and function of transplanted grafts, and the rapid and reliable evaluation of new transplantation protocols. The ovarian tissues of donor FVB/N-Tg(PolII–Luc)Ltc transgenic mice, with a luciferase transgene as the reporter, were transplanted into iso/allogeneic recipients. Rejection, ovarian function and BLI were quantitatively analysed in vivo over time. The BLI of the ovarian isografts revealed longer survival than that of allografts, even with cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment. The CD4+/CD8+ ratios of peripheral T-cells were significantly reduced in allografts compared with those in isografts (P