Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Nanoflares for mRNA Detection in Living Cells.

Abstract

The expression level of tumor-related mRNA can reveal significant information about tumor progression and prognosis, so specific mRNA in cells provides an important approach for biological and disease studies. Here, fluorescence lifetime imaging of nanoflares in living cells was first employed to detect specific intracellular mRNA. We characterized the lifetime changes of the prepared nanoflares before and after the treatment of target mRNA and also compared the results with those of fluorescence intensity-based measurements both intracellularly and extracellularly. The nanoflares released the cy5-modified oligonucleotides and bound to the targets, resulting in a fluorescence lifetime lengthening. This work puts forward another dimension of detecting specific mRNA in cells and can also open new ways for detection of many other biomolecules.

• Authors: Jing Shi, Ming Zhou, Aihua Gong, Qijun Li, Qian Wu, Gary J Cheng, Mingyang Yang, Yaocheng Sun
• Journal: Analytical chemistry (Anal Chem) Vol. 88 Issue 4 Pg. 1979-83 (Feb 16 2016) ISSN: 1520-6882 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26813157 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• BRCA1 Protein
• Carbocyanines
• Fluorescent Dyes
• Oligonucleotides
• RNA, Messenger
• RNA, Small Interfering
• cyanine dye 5

Topics

• BRCA1 Protein (antagonists & inhibitors, genetics, metabolism)
• Carbocyanines (chemistry)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Fluorescent Dyes (chemistry)
• Humans
• Microscopy, Fluorescence
• Nanostructures (chemistry)
• Oligonucleotides (chemistry, metabolism)
• RNA, Messenger (analysis)
• RNA, Small Interfering (chemistry, metabolism)