A Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Live-Cell Imaging of RNA in the Cancer Cells

Ribonucleic acid (RNA), a biomolecular compound polymerized by many riboside monomers, is one of the most essential substances in life. Monitoring RNA changes within organisms will play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of major genetically related diseases. Herein, we synthesized a novel compound QOT-NA as near-infrared probe for imaging RNA in cancer cells. The synthesis method and photophysical properties of the probe were presented. The titration and selectivity experiments demonstrated that the probe detected RNA in vitro. Moreover, the RNA imaging experiments indicated that the near-infrared RNA probe QOT-NA can locate RNA within cancer cells.