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Gu Y, Bai R, Qiu X, Wang X, Lu S, Li CM, Guo C. In Vivo Imaging MicroRNA with Bright Fluorescent RNA Aptamer Through Target-Mediated Entropy-Driven Toehold Exchange. Anal Chem 2024; 96:7609-7617. [PMID: 38687631 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles in biological activities, but their in vivo imaging is still challenging due to the low abundance and the lack of efficient fluorescent tools. RNA aptamers with high affinity and low background emerge for bioimaging yet suffering from low brightness. We introduce a rational design based on target-mediated entropy-driven toehold exchange (EDTE) to induce the release of RNA aptamer and subsequently light up corresponding fluorophore, which achieves selective imaging of miRNAs with good stability in both living cells and tumor-bearing mouse. Through tailoring recognition unit of the EDTE probes, highly sensitive imaging of different miRNAs including miRNA-125b and miRNA-21 is achieved, confirming its universal bioimaging applications. In comparison with the reported "one-to-one" model, the EDTE strategy shows a remarkable 4.6-time improvement in signal/noise ratio for intracellular imaging of the same miRNA. Particularly, it realizes sensitive imaging of miRNA in vivo, providing a promising tool in investigating functions and interactions of disease-associated miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Gu
- Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Rui Bai
- Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Xingchen Qiu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Xuefu Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Xiaobao Wang
- Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Shasha Lu
- Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Chang-Ming Li
- Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Chunxian Guo
- Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
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Chan KH, Wang Y, Zheng BX, Long W, Feng X, Wong WL. RNA-Selective Small-Molecule Ligands: Recent Advances in Live-Cell Imaging and Drug Discovery. ChemMedChem 2023; 18:e202300271. [PMID: 37649155 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
RNA structures, including those formed from coding and noncoding RNAs, alternative to protein-based drug targets, could be a promising target of small molecules for drug discovery against various human diseases, particularly in anticancer, antibacterial and antivirus development. The normal cellular activity of cells is critically dependent on the function of various RNA molecules generated from DNA transcription. Moreover, many studies support that mRNA-targeting small molecules may regulate the synthesis of disease-related proteins via the non-covalent mRNA-ligand interactions that do not involve gene modification. RNA-ligand interaction is thus an attractive approach to address the challenge of "undruggable" proteins in drug discovery because the intracellular activity of these proteins is hard to be suppressed with small molecule ligands. We selectively surveyed a specific area of RNA structure-selective small molecule ligands in fluorescence live cell imaging and drug discovery because the area was currently underexplored. This state-of-the-art review thus mainly focuses on the research published within the past three years and aims to provide the most recent information on this research area; hopefully, it could be complementary to the previously reported reviews and give new insights into the future development on RNA-specific small molecule ligands for live cell imaging and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka Hin Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Yakun Wang
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, 518057, P. R. China
| | - Bo-Xin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Wei Long
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR 999077, P. R. China
| | - Xinxin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Chem-/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecular Chemical Biology and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Wing-Leung Wong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR 999077, P. R. China
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, 518057, P. R. China
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Zheng BX, Yu J, Long W, Chan KH, Leung ASL, Wong WL. Structurally diverse G-quadruplexes as the noncanonical nucleic acid drug target for live cell imaging and antibacterial study. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:1415-1433. [PMID: 36636928 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc05945b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The formation of G-quadruplex structures (G4s) in vitro from guanine (G)-rich nucleic acid sequences of DNA and RNA stabilized with monovalent cations, typically K+ and Na+, under physiological conditions, has been verified experimentally and some of them have high-resolution NMR or X-ray crystal structures; however, the biofunction of these special noncanonical secondary structures of nucleic acids has not been fully understood and their existence in vivo is still controversial at present. It is generally believed that the folding and unfolding of G4s in vivo is a transient process. Accumulating evidence has shown that G4s may play a role in the regulation of certain important cellular functions including telomere maintenance, replication, transcription and translation. Therefore, both DNA and RNA G4s of human cancer hallmark genes are recognized as the potential anticancer drug target for the investigation in cancer biology, chemical biology and drug discovery. The relationship between the sequence, structure and stability of G4s, the interaction of G4s with small molecules, and insights into the rational design of G4-selective binding ligands have been intensively studied over the decade. At present, some G4-ligands have achieved a new milestone and successfully entered the human clinical trials for anticancer therapy. Over the past few decades, numerous efforts have been devoted to anticancer therapy; however, G4s for molecular recognition and live cell imaging and for application as antibacterial agents and antibiofilms against antibiotic resistance have been obviously underexplored. The recent advances in G4-ligands in these areas are thus selected and discussed concentratedly in this article in order to shed light on the emerging role of G4s in chemical biology and therapeutic prospects against bacterial infections. In addition, the recently published molecular scaffolds for designing small ligands selectively targeting G4s in live cell imaging, bacterial biofilm imaging, and antibacterial studies are discussed. Furthermore, a number of underexplored G4-targets from the cytoplasmic membrane-associated DNA, the conserved promoter region of K. pneumoniae genomes, the RNA G4-sites in the transcriptome of E. coli and P. aeruginosa, and the mRNA G4-sites in the sequence for coding the vital bacterial FtsZ protein are highlighted to further explore in G4-drug development against human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Xin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Jie Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Wei Long
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, P. R. China
| | - Ka Hin Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Alan Siu-Lun Leung
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Wing-Leung Wong
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, P. R. China
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Gu Y, Huang LJ, Zhao W, Zhang TT, Cui MR, Yang XJ, Zhao XL, Chen HY, Xu JJ. Living-Cell MicroRNA Imaging with Self-Assembling Fragments of Fluorescent Protein-Mimic RNA Aptamer. ACS Sens 2021; 6:2339-2347. [PMID: 34028262 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c00453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
As the cellular roles of RNA abundance continue to increase, there is an urgent need for the corresponding tools to elucidate native RNA functions and dynamics, especially those of short, low-abundance RNAs in live cells. Fluorescent RNA aptamers provide a useful strategy to create the RNA tag and biosensor devices. Corn, which binds with 3,5-difluoro-4-hydroxybenzylidene-imidazolinone-2-oxime (DFHO), is a good candidate for the RNA tag because of its enhanced photostability and red-shifted spectrum. Herein, we report for the first time the utilization of Corn as a split aptamer system, combined with RNA-initiated fluorescence complementation (RIFC), for monitoring RNA self-assembly and sensing microRNA. In this platform, the 28-nt Corn was divided into two nonfunctional halves (named probe I and probe II), and an additional target RNA recognition and stem part was introduced in each probe. The target RNA can trigger the self-assembly reconstitution of the Corn's G-quadruplex scaffold for DFHO binding and turn-on fluorescence. These probes can be transfected stably into mammalian cells and deliver the light-up fluorescent response to microRNA-21 (miR-21). Significantly, the probes have good photostability, with minimal fluorescence loss after continuous irradiation, and can be used for imaging of miR-21 in living mammalian cells. The proposed method is universal and could be applied to the sensing of other tumor-associated RNAs, including messenger RNA and noncoding RNA, as well as for monitoring RNA/RNA interactions. The Corn-based splitting aptamers show promising potential in the real-time visualization and mechanistic analysis of nucleic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215011, China
| | - Li-Juan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ting-Ting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Mei-Rong Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xue-Jiao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xue-Li Zhao
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zheng-Zhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Hong-Yuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jing-Juan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Rossetti M, Del Grosso E, Ranallo S, Mariottini D, Idili A, Bertucci A, Porchetta A. Programmable RNA-based systems for sensing and diagnostic applications. Anal Bioanal Chem 2019; 411:4293-4302. [PMID: 30734852 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-019-01622-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The emerging field of RNA nanotechnology harnesses the versatility of RNA molecules to generate nature-inspired systems with programmable structure and functionality. Such methodology has therefore gained appeal in the fields of biosensing and diagnostics, where specific molecular recognition and advanced input/output processing are demanded. The use of RNA modules and components allows for achieving diversity in structure and function, for processing information with molecular precision, and for programming dynamic operations on the grounds of predictable non-covalent interactions. When RNA nanotechnology meets bioanalytical chemistry, sensing of target molecules can be performed by harnessing programmable interactions of RNA modules, advanced field-ready biosensors can be manufactured by interfacing RNA-based devices with supporting portable platforms, and RNA sensors can be engineered to be genetically encoded allowing for real-time imaging of biomolecules in living cells. In this article, we report recent advances in RNA-based sensing technologies and discuss current trends in RNA nanotechnology-enabled biomedical diagnostics. In particular, we describe programmable sensors that leverage modular designs comprising dynamic aptamer-based units, synthetic RNA nanodevices able to perform target-responsive regulation of gene expression, and paper-based sensors incorporating artificial RNA networks. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Rossetti
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Erica Del Grosso
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Ranallo
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Davide Mariottini
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Idili
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Alessandro Bertucci
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Alessandro Porchetta
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy.
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Neubacher S, Hennig S. RNA Structure and Cellular Applications of Fluorescent Light-Up Aptamers. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:1266-1279. [PMID: 30102012 PMCID: PMC6391945 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201806482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The cellular functions of RNA are not limited to their role as blueprints for protein synthesis. In particular, noncoding RNA, such as, snRNAs, lncRNAs, miRNAs, play important roles. With increasing numbers of RNAs being identified, it is well known that the transcriptome outnumbers the proteome by far. This emphasizes the great importance of functional RNA characterization and the need to further develop tools for these investigations, many of which are still in their infancy. Fluorescent light-up aptamers (FLAPs) are RNA sequences that can bind nontoxic, cell-permeable small-molecule fluorogens and enhance their fluorescence over many orders of magnitude upon binding. FLAPs can be encoded on the DNA level using standard molecular biology tools and are subsequently transcribed into RNA by the cellular machinery, so that they can be used as fluorescent RNA tags (FLAP-tags). In this Minireview, we give a brief overview of the fluorogens that have been developed and their binding RNA aptamers, with a special focus on published crystal structures. A summary of current and future cellular FLAP applications with an emphasis on the study of RNA-RNA and RNA-protein interactions using split-FLAP and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) systems is given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Neubacher
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 11081081HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Sven Hennig
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical SciencesVU University AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 11081081HZAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Neubacher S, Hennig S. RNA Structure and Cellular Applications of Fluorescent Light-Up Aptamers. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201806482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Neubacher
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences; VU University Amsterdam; De Boelelaan 1108 1081 HZ Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Sven Hennig
- Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences; VU University Amsterdam; De Boelelaan 1108 1081 HZ Amsterdam The Netherlands
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Tutucci E, Vera M, Singer RH. Single-mRNA detection in living S. cerevisiae using a re-engineered MS2 system. Nat Protoc 2018; 13:2268-2296. [DOI: 10.1038/s41596-018-0037-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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