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Published on: December 12, 2019
Magnetic resonance beacon to detect intracellular microRNA during neurogenesis
Jonghwan Lee1, Yeon A Jin1, Hae Young Ko1
1Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 270-701, Republic of Korea; Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City 404-834, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers great spatial resolution for viewing deep tissues and anatomy. We developed a self-assembling signal-on magnetic fluorescence nanoparticle to visualize intracellular microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) during neurogenesis using MRI. The self-assembling nanoparticle (miR124a MR beacon) was aggregated by the incubation of three different oligonucleotides: a 3' adaptor, a 5' adaptor, and a linker containing miR124a-binding sequences. The T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) signal of the self-assembled nanoparticle was quenched when miR124a was absent from test tubes or was minimally expressed in cells and tissues. When miR124a was present in test tubes or highly expressed in vitro and in vivo during P19 cell neurogenesis, it hybridized with the miR124a MR beacon, causing the linker to detach, resulting in increased signal-on MRI intensity. This MR beacon can be used as a new imaging probe to monitor the miRNA-mediated regulation of cellular processes.
