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Updated: Jan 11, 2026
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Real-time Imaging of Single Engineered RNA Transcripts in Living Cells Using Ratiometric Bimolecular Beacons
Published on: August 6, 2014
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Multiplexed RNA imaging and in situ profiling in living cells
Lan Mi1, Sima Khajouei1, Mingxu You1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst MA 01003 USA mingxuyou@umass.edu.
Chemical Science
|November 10, 2025
Summary
Live-cell multiplexed RNA imaging offers real-time insights into cellular dynamics, overcoming limitations of static spatial transcriptomics. This advances RNA biology and disease research.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Single-cell RNA profiling and multiplexed imaging reveal cellular heterogeneity.
- Established spatial transcriptomics methods (e.g., FISH, in situ sequencing) require cell fixation, providing static data.
- Live-cell imaging offers dynamic, real-time RNA monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight emerging advances in live-cell multiplexed RNA imaging.
- To compare live-cell techniques with fixed-cell spatial transcriptomics.
- To discuss the potential of these technologies in RNA biology and disease studies.
Main Methods:
- Development of advanced fluorescent probes for multiplexed RNA imaging in living cells.
- Integration of live-cell RNA imaging with fixed-cell spatial transcriptomics approaches.
- Analysis of RNA localization, interaction, and concentration dynamics.
Main Results:
- Live-cell imaging enables real-time monitoring of RNA dynamics.
- Spatiotemporal RNA profiling can track RNA localization and concentration changes.
- Temporal relationships among multiple RNA species can be unraveled.
Conclusions:
- Live-cell multiplexed RNA imaging overcomes static limitations of traditional methods.
- These technologies offer new avenues for understanding RNA biology.
- Applications include disease mechanism studies, diagnostics, and therapeutic development.
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