title: Molecular beacons of xeno-nucleic acid for detecting nucleic acid.
abstract: Molecular beacons (MBs) of DNA and RNA have aroused increasing interest because they allow a continuous readout, excellent spatial and temporal resolution to observe in real time. This kind of dual-labeled oligonucleotide probes can differentiate between bound and unbound DNA/RNA in homogenous hybridization with a high signal-to-background ratio in living cells. This review briefly summarizes the different unnatural sugar backbones of oligonucleotides combined with fluorophores that have been employed to sense DNA/RNA. With different probes, we epitomize the fundamental understanding of driving forces and these recognition processes. Moreover, we will introduce a few novel and attractive emerging applications and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. We also highlight several perspective probes in the application of cancer therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health, Nantong University, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yitao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Junchen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods*; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D015262:Xenobiotics
keywords: Diagnostics.; Molecular beacon; Nucleic acid; Xeno-nucleic acid