Continuous Monitoring of Specific mRNA Expression Responses with a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer-Based DNA Nano-tweezer Technique That Does Not Require Gene Recombination

This letter discusses the feasibility of continuously monitoring specific mRNA expression responses in a living cell with a probe structured as a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based DNA nano-tweezer (DNA-NT). The FRET-based DNA-NT, self-assembled from three single-stranded DNAs, alters its structure from an open state to a closed state in recognition of a target mRNA, resulting in the closing of the distal relation of previously modified FRET-paired fluorescent dyes and generating a FRET signal. The expressions of glucose transporters (GLUT) 1 and 4 in a mouse hepato-carcinoma (Hepa 1-6 cells) were selected as the target model. Live-cell imaging analysis of Hepa 1-6 cells with both FRET-based DNA-NTs indicated that the behaviors of the FRET signals integrated in each individual cell were similar to those measured with the conventional mass analysis technique of semiquantitative real-time (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From these results, it is concluded that continuous monitoring of gene expression response without gene recombination is feasible with a FRET-based DNA-NT, even in a single cell manner.