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RNA Stability

RNA Stability

Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...

mRNA Stability and Gene Expression

mRNA Stability and Gene Expression

The structure and stability of mRNA molecules regulates gene expression, as mRNAs are a key step in the pathway from gene to protein. In eukaryotes, the half-life of mRNA varies from a few minutes up to several days. mRNA stability is essential in growth and development. The absence of the proteins regulating its stability, such as tristetraprolin in mice, can cause systemic issues, including bone marrow overgrowth, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
Cis-acting Elements involved in mRNA stability

mRNA Stability and Gene Expression

mRNA Stability and Gene Expression

Determination of In Vitro and Cellular Turn-on Kinetics for Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers

Determination of In Vitro and Cellular Turn-on Kinetics for Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers

The protocol presents two methods to determine the kinetics of the fluorogenic RNA aptamers Spinach2 and Broccoli. The first method describes how to measure fluorogenic aptamer kinetics in vitro with a plate reader, while the second method details the measurement of fluorogenic aptamer kinetics in cells by flow...

Measuring Protein Stability in Living Zebrafish Embryos Using Fluorescence Decay After Photoconversion (FDAP)

Measuring Protein Stability in Living Zebrafish Embryos Using Fluorescence Decay After Photoconversion (FDAP)

Protein levels in cells and tissues are often tightly regulated by the balance of protein production and clearance. Using Fluorescence Decay After Photoconversion (FDAP), the clearance kinetics of proteins can be experimentally measured in...

Measuring the Kinetics of mRNA Transcription in Single Living Cells

Measuring the Kinetics of mRNA Transcription in Single Living Cells

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 20, 2026

RNA Binding Proteins and RNA Stability

RNA Binding Proteins and RNA Stability

Live imaging of mRNA using RNA-stabilized fluorogenic proteins.

Jiahui Wu¹, Sara Zaccara¹, Deepak Khuperkar²

¹Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.

|September 1, 2019

Summary

Researchers developed novel fluorogenic proteins activated by RNA aptamers for live-cell imaging. This breakthrough enables real-time visualization of messenger RNA (mRNA) within living cells.

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Cis-acting Elements in mRNA stability and Gene Expression

Cis-acting Elements in mRNA stability and Gene Expression

Determination of In Vitro and Cellular Turn-on Kinetics for Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers

Determination of In Vitro and Cellular Turn-on Kinetics for Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers

Published on: August 9, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 20, 2026

RNA Binding Proteins and RNA Stability

RNA Binding Proteins and RNA Stability

Cis-acting Elements in mRNA stability and Gene Expression

Cis-acting Elements in mRNA stability and Gene Expression

Determination of In Vitro and Cellular Turn-on Kinetics for Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers

Determination of In Vitro and Cellular Turn-on Kinetics for Fluorogenic RNA Aptamers

Published on: August 9, 2022

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Fluorogenic RNA aptamers activate nonfluorescent dyes but are limited by dye availability for live-cell applications.
Existing methods struggle with the limited selection of suitable fluorogenic dyes for in vivo imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel system for live imaging of messenger RNA (mRNA) in living cells.
To overcome limitations of current fluorogenic aptamer technology by utilizing proteins.

Main Methods:

Engineered fluorogenic proteins that exhibit high instability until binding to specific RNA aptamers.
Integrated RNA aptamers into messenger RNAs (mRNAs) within living cells.
Observed the formation of fluorescent RNA-protein complexes upon aptamer binding.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that engineered fluorogenic proteins become fluorescent only after binding to RNA aptamers.
Successfully created fluorescent RNA-protein complexes for mRNA visualization.
Enabled live imaging of mRNA dynamics in living cells.

Conclusions:

Developed a novel class of fluorogenic proteins activated by RNA aptamers for live-cell mRNA imaging.
This system overcomes the limitations of traditional fluorogenic dyes.
Provides a powerful new tool for studying mRNA biology in real-time within living systems.