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Updated: May 13, 2026
Real-time Imaging of Single Engineered RNA Transcripts in Living Cells Using Ratiometric Bimolecular Beacons
Published on: August 6, 2014
A folding-based approach for the luminescent detection of a short RNA hairpin
Cristina Penas1, Elena Pazos, José L Mascareñas
1Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares, Departamento de Química Orgánica and Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Abstract:
We report the rational design of a 20-mer basic peptide, derived from the transcriptional antitermination protein N of bacteriophage P22, equipped with a luminescent DOTA[Tb(3+)] macrocyclic complex and a sensitizing tryptophan antenna. Folding of this peptide into an α helical conformation, which occurs upon binding to its target boxB RNA hairpin, results in a large increase in luminescence emission. Therefore, the peptide construct works as a highly sensitive and selective probe for this RNA hairpin.
