Imaging transgene expression in live tissues requires reporters that are detectable with deeply penetrant modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, we show that LSAqp1, a water channel engineered from aquaporin-1, can be used to create background-free, drug-gated, and multiplex images of gene expression using MRI. LSAqp1 is a fusion protein composed of aquaporin-1 and a degradation tag that is sensitive to a cell-permeable ligand, which allows for dynamic small molecule modulation of MRI signals. LSAqp1 improves specificity for imaging gene expression by allowing reporter signals to be conditionally activated and distinguished from the tissue background by difference imaging. In addition, by engineering destabilized aquaporin-1 variants with different ligand requirements, it is possible to image distinct cell types simultaneously. Finally, we expressed LSAqp1 in a tumor model and showed successful in vivo imaging of gene expression without background activity. LSAqp1 provides a conceptually unique approach to accurately measure gene expression in living organisms by combining the physics of water diffusion and biotechnology tools to control protein stability.

Engineering ligand stabilized aquaporin reporters for magnetic resonance imaging