RNA Imaging in Living Cells

Insight into the dynamics of RNA biosynthesis, processing, and cellular activity is highly valuable because it will deepen our understanding of cell physiology and help explain how mRNA-misregulation contributes to the development of many diseases. To date, the study of mRNA inside cells is a challenge; many analytical approaches focus only on quantifying expression levels of transcripts and are not capable of reporting their intracellular locations, which have emerged as a critical determinant of RNA function. Similarly, techniques capable of probing RNA localization merely offer snapshots in fixed cells. Herein, we describe a protocol based on the bacteriophage MS2 genetic system for use in detecting mRNA in living cells.

Source: Springer protocols feed by Cell Biology - October 20, 2016 Category: Cytology Source Type: news