In Vivo Bioluminescent Imaging of ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter-Mediated Efflux at the Blood-Brain Barrier

We provide a detailed protocol for imaging ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) function at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of transgenic mice. D-Luciferin is specifically transported by ABCG2 found on the apical side of endothelial cells at the BBB. The luciferase-luciferin enzymatic reaction produces bioluminescence, which allows a direct measurement of ABCG2 function at the BBB. Therefore bioluminescence imaging (BLI) correlates with ABCG2 function at the BBB and this can be measured by administering luciferin in a mouse model that expresses luciferase in the brain parenchyma. BLI allows for a relatively low-cost alternative for studying transporter function in vivo compared to other strategies such as positron emission tomography. This method for imaging ABCG2 function at the BBB can be used to investigate pharmacokinetic inhibition of the transporter.