RNA is a vital molecule that interprets the genetic information found in DNA, crucial for cell function. Recently, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, have developed a new method to attach a luminescent tag to RNA, enabling them to monitor its movement in real time throughout the body. This groundbreaking research, published in Nature Communications, has the potential to enhance our understanding of various biological processes, from viral replication to memory development in the brain.
RNA is a vital molecule that interprets the genetic information found in DNA, crucial for cell function. Recently, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, have developed a new method to attach a luminescent tag to RNA, enabling them to monitor its movement in real time throughout the body. This groundbreaking research, published in Nature Communications, has the potential to enhance our understanding of various biological processes, from viral replication to memory development in the brain.
“The first indication that something will happen in a cell—such as growth, adaptation, or change—relies on RNA,” explained Andrej Lupták, a UC Irvine pharmaceutical sciences professor and a primary author of the study.
Up until now, there was limited understanding of how and when RNA functions within cells. “It’s really challenging to know when RNA is activated and its movement within living cells and organisms,” Lupták stated. “If you wanted to investigate the first 30 seconds or minute—it’s been a mystery. But we provide a tool that allows for visualization.”
Viruses spread by injecting their RNA into cells, and by labeling this viral RNA with the team’s innovative “RNA lanterns,” scientists can gain greater insight into how a virus penetrates the body’s defenses.
This tagging method might also enable real-time imaging of live brains containing cells with bioluminescent RNA. According to Jennifer Prescher, a co-lead author and UC Irvine chemistry professor, RNA is believed to play a crucial role in memory formation in the brain.
“There is fascinating biological activity occurring at the RNA level in neurons,” Prescher remarked. “The ability to observe early RNA events and its transport from the cell body to the neural synapses—where connections with other neurons are established—correlates directly with memory formation. Monitoring this in real time could provide fundamental insights into the brain and memory, which has long been a scientific quest.”
The research team utilized luciferase, the enzyme responsible for the glow in fireflies and glow-worms, to tag the RNA. Previous attempts by scientists to achieve results similar to those reported by the UC Irvine team struggled because they couldn’t get the luciferase molecules to glow brightly enough for current camera technology to detect them.
Prescher and Lupták attribute the success of this research to the collaborative, interdisciplinary culture at UC Irvine. “We had an incredible team of students involved in this effort,” Prescher stated, acknowledging co-authors like Lila Halbers and Kevin Ng from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Kyle Cole from the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, along with collaborator Oswald Steward, the Reeve-Irvine Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology.
This study received funding from a grant awarded by the W. M. Keck Foundation to Lupták, Prescher, and Steward.
