FIG. 5.

SASTG-luciferase expression in response to heparin in primary cell culture, tissue, and in vivo. (A) Primary porcine cardiomyocytes plated in 6-well dishes were infected with SASTG-luc and increasing amounts of heparin. Two days postinfection, cells were harvested, lysed, and subjected to luminometry. Results are expressed as relative light units (RLUs) normalized to milligrams of total protein. (B) Human saphenous vein transduced with SASTG and heparin. (C–E) Evaluation of in vivo skeletal muscle transduction of SASTG plus heparin, using in vivo biophotonic imaging of hind leg injections. Image showing SASTG expression with heparin injected into the (animal's) right leg and SASTG without heparin in the (animal's) left leg. Various doses of heparin were used (low, 1.95 μg/ml; medium, 31.2 μg/ml; and high, 260 μg/ml). Increasing wavelength reflects greater luminescence. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/hum