Recent advances in the molecular beacon technology for live-cell single-molecule imaging
Autor
Mao, Shiqi
Ying, Yachen
Wu, Ruonan
Chen, Antony K.
Institución
Resumen
Nucleic acids, aside from being best known as the carrier of genetic information,
are versatile biomaterials for constructing nanoscopic devices for biointerfacing,
owing to their unique properties such as specific base-pairing and predictable
structure. For live-cell analysis of native RNA transcripts, the most widely used
nucleic acid-based nanodevice has been the molecular beacon (MB), a class of
stem-loop forming probes that is activated to fluoresce upon hybridization with target
RNA. Here, we overview efforts that have been made in developing MB-based
bioassays for sensitive intracellular analysis, particularly at the single-molecule level.
We also describe challenges that are currently limiting the widespread use of MBs
and provide possible solutions. With continued refinement of MBs in terms of
labeling specificity and detection accuracy, accompanied by new development in
imaging platforms with unprecedented sensitivity, the application of MBs is
envisioned to expand in various biological research fields.