ABSTRACT
In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), methods for the non-invasive detection of cells and their activities often rely on the manipulation of cellular iron. This chapter reviews concepts in reporter gene expression for molecular MRI. This includes the regulation of iron compartmentalization and metabolism in mammalian cells, and the influence this has on MR detection of iron contrast. The chapter examines the synthesis of magnetosomes and propose strategies, inspired by this bacterial structure, for improving the detection of reporter gene expression by MRI. Genetic encoding of reporter genes enables the tracking of several features of cellular activity, regardless of platform used to detect the encoded proteins. Magnetosome synthesis is a protein-directed process, beginning with expression of structural genes that encode the required magnetosome components.
