Longitudinal Intravital Imaging of Biosensor-labeled In Situ Islet Beta Cells

Impaired function and apoptosis of insulin-secreting islet β-cells is central to disease progression in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Oxidative damage resulting from excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a central factor in β-cell dysfunction and death, but the dynamic nature of ROS accumulation and its depletion pose a problem for mechanistic studies in vivo. Biosensors, including the redox-sensitive GFP (roGFPs), coupled with intravital microscopy provide a sensitive and dynamic solution to this problem. Here, we utilize a virally-delivered roGFP2-containing human glutaredoxin-1 (Grx1-roGFP2) to selectively monitor β-cell ROS dynamics in vivo in response to toxic glucose analogs. We paired viral biosensor delivery with implanted abdominal imaging windows over the pancreas, thus allowing longitudinal measurements of β-cell ROS and islet area during and after streptozotocin (STZ) exposure. The studies presented here represent a robust experimental platform that could be readily adapted to various transgenic or physiological mouse models in conjunction with any number of available biosensors, and thus opens a vast realm of potential for discovery in islet biology in vivo.