CRISPR-Cas System for RNA Detection and Imaging

The system of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)and CRISPR-associated endonucleases(Cas)have been widely used in gene editing,disease treatment,molecular diagnosis and chromosome imaging.On account of the programmable target recognition of CRISPR-Cas system and the specific targeting function toward RNA of type Ⅵ class Ⅱ Cas proteins,CRISPR-Cas system has been deployed as RNA recognition and detection tools,exhibiting promising application potentials in the field of RNA detection and imaging.In this review,we summarize the latest research progresses as well as development prospects of CRISPR-Cas system in RNA diagnosis and live cell RNA imaging.     

Intracellular Entropy‐Driven Multi‐Bit DNA Computing for Tumor Progression Discrimination

Tumor progressions such as metastasis are complicated events that involve abnormal expression of different miRNAs and enzymes. Monitoring these biomolecules in live cells with computational DNA nanotechnology may enable discrimination of tumor progression via digital outputs. Herein, we report intracellular entropy‐driven multivalent DNA circuits to implement multi‐bit computing for simultaneous analysis of intracellular telomerase and microRNAs including miR‐21 and miR‐31. These three biomolecules can trigger respective DNA strand displacement recycling reactions for signal amplification. They are visualized by fluorescence imaging, and their signal outputs are encoded as multi‐bit binary codes for different cell types. The results can discriminate non‐tumorigenic, malignant and metastatic breast cells as well as respective tumors. This DNA computing circuit is further performed in a microfluidic chip to differentiate rare co‐cultured cells, which holds a potential for the analysis of clinical samples.     

Structure of a Protein–RNA Complex by Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy

Solid‐state NMR (ssNMR) is applicable to high molecular‐weight (MW) protein assemblies in a non‐amorphous precipitate. The technique yields atomic resolution structural information on both soluble and insoluble particles without limitations of MW or requirement of crystals. Herein, we propose and demonstrate an approach that yields the structure of protein–RNA complexes (RNP) solely from ssNMR data. Instead of using low‐sensitivity magnetization transfer steps between heteronuclei of the protein and the RNA, we measure paramagnetic relaxation enhancement effects elicited on the RNA by a paramagnetic tag coupled to the protein. We demonstrate that this data, together with chemical‐shift‐perturbation data, yields an accurate structure of an RNP complex, starting from the bound structures of its components. The possibility of characterizing protein–RNA interactions by ssNMR may enable applications to large RNP complexes, whose structures are not accessible by other methods.     

Fluorophore‐Promoted RNA Folding and Photostability Enables Imaging of Single Broccoli‐Tagged mRNAs in Live Mammalian Cells

Spinach and Broccoli are fluorogenic RNA aptamers that bind DFHBI, a mimic of the chromophore in green fluorescent protein, and activate its fluorescence. Spinach/Broccoli‐DFHBI complexes exhibit high fluorescence in vitro, but they exhibit lower fluorescence in mammalian cells. Here, computational screening was used to identify BI, a DFHBI derivative that binds Broccoli with higher affinity and leads to markedly higher fluorescence in cells compared to previous ligands. BI prevents thermal unfolding of Broccoli at 37 °C, leading to more folded Broccoli and thus more fluorescent Broccoli‐BI complexes in cells. Broccoli‐BI complexes are more photostable owing to impaired photoisomerization and rapid unbinding of photoisomerized cis‐BI. These properties enable single mRNA containing 24 Broccoli aptamers to be imaged in live mammalian cells treated with BI. Small molecule ligands can thus promote RNA folding in cells, and thus allow single mRNA imaging with fluorogenic aptamers.     

Template‐Directed Copying of RNA by Non‐enzymatic Ligation

The non‐enzymatic replication of the primordial genetic material is thought to have enabled the evolution of early forms of RNA‐based life. However, the replication of oligonucleotides long enough to encode catalytic functions is problematic due to the low efficiency of template copying with mononucleotides. We show that template‐directed ligation can assemble long RNAs from shorter oligonucleotides, which would be easier to replicate. The rate of ligation can be greatly enhanced by employing a 3′‐amino group at the 3′‐end of each oligonucleotide, in combination with an N‐alkyl imidazole organocatalyst. These modifications enable the copying of RNA templates by the multistep ligation of tetranucleotide building blocks, as well as the assembly of long oligonucleotides using short splint oligonucleotides. We also demonstrate the formation of long oligonucleotides inside model prebiotic vesicles, which suggests a potential route to the assembly of artificial cells capable of evolution.     

Aromatic 19F–13C TROSY—[19F, 13C]‐Pyrimidine Labeling for NMR Spectroscopy of RNA

We present the access to [5‐¹⁹F, 5‐¹³C]‐uridine and ‐cytidine phosphoramidites for the production of site‐specifically modified RNAs up to 65 nucleotides (nts). The amidites were used to introduce [5‐¹⁹F, 5‐¹³C]‐pyrimidine labels into five RNAs—the 30 nt human immunodeficiency virus trans activation response (HIV TAR) 2 RNA, the 61 nt human hepatitis B virus ? (hHBV ?) RNA, the 49 nt SAM VI riboswitch aptamer domain from B. angulatum, the 29 nt apical stem loop of the pre‐microRNA (miRNA) 21 and the 59 nt full length pre‐miRNA 21. The main stimulus to introduce the aromatic ¹⁹F–¹³C‐spin topology into RNA comes from a work of Boeszoermenyi et al., in which the dipole‐dipole interaction and the chemical shift anisotropy relaxation mechanisms cancel each other leading to advantageous TROSY properties shown for aromatic protein sidechains. This aromatic ¹³C–¹⁹F labeling scheme is now transferred to RNA. We provide a protocol for the resonance assignment by solid phase synthesis based on diluted [5‐¹⁹F, 5‐¹³C]/[5‐¹⁹F] pyrimidine labeling. For the 61 nt hHBV ? we find a beneficial ¹⁹F–¹³C TROSY enhancement, which should be even more pronounced in larger RNAs and will facilitate the NMR studies of larger RNAs. The [¹⁹F, ¹³C]‐labeling of the SAM VI aptamer domain and the pre‐miRNA 21 further opens the possibility to use the biorthogonal stable isotope reporter nuclei in in vivo NMR to observe ligand binding and microRNA processing in a biological relevant setting.     

Base dependent pyrrolidine ring pucker in aep-PNA monomers: NMR and PSEUROT analysis

The aep-PNA is a chiral and cyclic PNA analogue, which has a stronger and base dependent binding affinity with complementary DNA. To understand the base dependent properties at monomer level, the structural studies of aep-PNA-(T/C/A) monomers have been carried out focussing on the conformational analysis of pyrrolidine ring pucker in aep-PNA by ¹H NMR and the coupling constant data fitted into PSEUROT software. The results indicate that the type of pyrrolidine pucker depends on the electronic nature of substituent, implying the effect of pyrimidine or purine substituents in determining the ring pucker in monomers. This may consequently influence the aep-PNA oligomer conformation. Since pyrrolidine nucleic acids have emerged as an important class of PNA analogues, present results may have importance for their future development.