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Published on: August 6, 2014
Fluorescent RNAs: new opportunities for drug discovery
Fangting Zuo1, Ziheng Gao1, Xianjun Chen1
1Optogenetics & Synthetic Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
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Fluorescent RNAs (FRs), RNA mimics of fluorescent proteins (FPs), have emerged as a promising approach for tagging RNAs and investigating their complex spatiotemporal dynamics and biological functions. Moreover, FR-derived biosensors (FRBs) also provide useful tools for point-of-care testing of a wide range of targets, from small molecules, nucleic acids, and proteins to various pathogens. However, it is still unclear whether and how FRs and FRBs can be used to accelerate drug discovery. In this review article, we briefly summarize the recent advances in FRs and FRBs and focus on recent works showing how FRs and FRBs can be used during different stages of RNA and small-molecule drug discovery. Furthermore, we discuss limitations of current technologies and potential pathways for moving forward.
