Paige, J.S. et al. Science 335, 1194 (2012).
Small-molecule sensors for live imaging studies are relatively few. To add to the toolbox, Paige et al. propose a method that couples small-molecule binding RNA aptamers—short sequences that can be selected in vitro for desirable binding properties—to a conditional fluorophore. The group previously engineered Spinach, an aptamer that causes a modified fluorophore from GFP to fluoresce upon binding. Destabilizing one stem of a stem-loop in Spinach caused it to stop functioning, but attaching a small molecule–binding aptamer sequence to the stem resulted in a reporter that was structured when bound by the small molecule and caused the fluorophore to fluoresce. The group generated Spinach-based sensors for adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and other molecules in Escherichia coli in this way.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RNA sensors for small molecules. Nat Methods 9, 436 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1998
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1998