Photocaged functional nucleic acids for spatiotemporal imaging in biology.

Photocaged functional nucleic acids for spatiotemporal imaging in biology. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2020 Jul 08;57:95-104 Authors: Wu Y, Yang Z, Lu Y Abstract Imaging of species in living organisms with high spatiotemporal resolution is essential for understanding biological processes. While functional nucleic acids (FNAs), such as catalytic nucleic acids and aptamers, have emerged as effective sensors for a wide range of molecules, photocaged control of these FNAs has played a key role in translating them into bioimaging agents with high spatiotemporal control. In this review, we summarize methods and results of photocaged FNAs based on photolabile modifications, photoisomerization, and photothermal activation. Future directions, including strategies to improve the performance of these photocaged FNAs, are also described. PMID: 32652498 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Chemical Biology - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Chem Biol Source Type: research