title: Probe design for the effective fluorescence imaging of intracellular RNA.
abstract: Over the past two decades, the spatiotemporal analysis of fluorescently labeled single RNA species has provided a broad insight into the synthesis, localization, degradation, and transport of RNA. To elucidate the dynamic behavior of functional RNAs in living cells, researchers throughout the world have proposed numerous fluorometric strategies for intracellular RNA imaging. Because, like most other biological molecules, RNA is intrinsically nonfluorescent, the development of methods for the labeling of RNAs of interest with fluorescent molecules is essential. Several artificial tag sequences have been attached onto the 3' end of target RNAs and used as scaffolds for interacting with their fluorescent counterparts. In this Personal Account, we focus on the methods that have been developed to show how RNAs expressed in cells can be labeled and visualized by fluorescent proteins, small molecules, or nucleic acids. Each of these methods is designed to increase the sensitivity and specificity for imaging or to decrease the background fluorescence.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan.
authors.forename: Gosuke
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Akimitsu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okamoto
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D014764:Viral Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D012313:RNA