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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Glutamine Flux Imaging Using Genetically Encoded Sensors
Published on: July 31, 2014
Genetically encoded RNA-based sensors for intracellular imaging of silver ions
Qikun Yu1, Jing Shi, Aruni P K K Karunanayake Mudiyanselage
1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA. mingxuyou@chem.umass.edu.
Abstract:
Silver has been widely used for disinfection. The cellular accumulation of silver ions (Ag+) is critical in these antibacterial effects. The direct cellular measurement of Ag+ is useful for the study of disinfection mechanisms. Herein, we reported a novel genetically encoded RNA-based sensor to image Ag+ in live bacterial cells. The sensor is designed by introducing a cytosine-Ag+-cytosine metallo base pair into a fluorogenic RNA aptamer, Broccoli. The binding of Ag+ induces the folding of Broccoli and activates a fluorescence signal. This sensor can be genetically encoded to measure the cellular flux and antibacterial effect of Ag+.
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