Sensitive imaging of microRNA in living cells is of great value for disease diagnostics and prognostics. While signal amplification-based strategies have been developed for imaging low-abundance disease-relevant microRNA molecules, precise temporal control over sensor activity in living cells still remains a challenge, and limits their applications for sensing microRNA concentration dynamics. Herein, we report a class of photocaged nanoparticle sensors for highly sensitive imaging of microRNA in living cells with temporal control. The sensor features a DNA-templated gold nanoparticle-quantum dot satellite nanostructure which is temporarily inactivated by a photocaged DNA mask. Upon UV light irradiation, the sensor restores its activity for catalytic sensing of microRNA in living cells via entropy-driven two-step toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions. We show that the sensor exhibits quick response to UV light, robust intracellular stability, and high specificity and sensitivity for the microRNA target. On the basis of this strategy, precise control over sensor activity is achieved using an external light trigger, where on-demand sensing could be potentially performed with spatiotemporal control.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.7b00922 | DOI Listing |
Front Optoelectron
January 2025
Institute of Physics, Saratov State University, Saratov, 410012, Russia.
The paper presents the results of modern research on the effects of electromagnetic terahertz radiation in the frequency range 0.5-100 THz at different levels of power density and exposure time on the viability of normal and cancer cells. As an accompanying tool for monitoring the effect of radiation on biological cells and tissues, spectroscopic research methods in the terahertz frequency range are described, and attention is focused on the possibility of using the spectra of interstitial water as a marker of pathological processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChembiochem
January 2025
Xinzhou Normal University, Department of Chemistry, CHINA.
As one of the essential components of reactive oxygen species (ROS), peroxynitrite (ONOO-) plays an indispensable role in redox homeostasis and signal transduction processes, and its deviant levels are associated with numerous clinical diseases. Therefore, accurate and rapid detection of intracellular ONOO- levels is crucial for revealing its role in physiological and pathological processes. Herein, we constructed a ratiometric fluorescent probe to detect ONOO- levels in biological systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods Enzymol
January 2025
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States. Electronic address:
RNAs are central mediators of genetic information flow and gene regulation that underlie diverse cell types and cell states across species. Thus, methods that can sense and respond to RNA profiles in living cells will have broad applications in biology and medicine. CellREADR - Cell access through RNA sensing by Endogenous ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA), is a programmable RNA sensor-actuator technology that couples the detection of a cell-defining RNA to the translation of an effector protein to monitor and manipulate the cell.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Pollut
January 2025
Department of Health Toxicology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410013, PR China. Electronic address:
Microplastics (MPs) are becoming a significant environmental and public health concern because they are present in freshwater and marine environments and are ingested by living organisms. Cholestatic liver disease (CLD) is closely related to intestinal homeostasis, but there are no data investigating the effects of MPs on CLD. In this study, we used Mdr2 mice (a model of CLD) to investigate the effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs, 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Aix-Marseille Université-CNRS UMR 7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée and Turing Center for Living Systems, Marseille 13009, France.
Despite growing awareness of their importance in soil ecology, the genetic and physiological traits of bacterial predators are still relatively poorly understood. In the course of a predator evolution experiment, we identified a class of genotypes leading to enhanced predation against diverse species. RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that this phenotype is linked to the constitutive activation of a predation-specific program.
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