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A near-infrared aptamer: dye system for live-cell super-resolution RNA imaging

Despite their advantageous properties for live-cell imaging and super-resolution microscopy, high-performance silicon rhodamine (SiR) near-infrared (NIR) probes are still rarely employed in RNA imaging via fluorescent light-up aptamers (FLAPs). Here, we developed the SiRiuS:SiR-5 system through a co...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fürbacher, Simon (Author) , Doll, Pia (Author) , Zhang, Jingye (Author) , Lange, Laura C. (Author) , Bergh, Niklas van den (Author) , Zhang, Yaqing (Author) , Vitiello, Erika (Author) , Grün, Franziska (Author) , Sünbül, Murat (Author) , Jäschke, Andres (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: 21 January 2026
In: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Year: 2026, Volume: 148, Issue: 2, Pages: 2405-2418
ISSN:1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/jacs.5c16419
Online Access:Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c16419
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Author Notes:Simon Fürbacher, Pia Doll, Jingye Zhang, Laura Lange, Niklas van den Bergh, Yaqing Zhang, Erika Vitiello, Franziska Grün, Murat Sunbul, and Andres Jäschke
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Summary:Despite their advantageous properties for live-cell imaging and super-resolution microscopy, high-performance silicon rhodamine (SiR) near-infrared (NIR) probes are still rarely employed in RNA imaging via fluorescent light-up aptamers (FLAPs). Here, we developed the SiRiuS:SiR-5 system through a combined evolutionary approach: evolving the aptamer via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), along with targeted mutations, truncations, and rational design, and improvement of the dye by systematic chemical derivatization. This resulted in an aptamer:dye pair with high fluorogenicity and photostability, specifically optimized for visualization of RNAs in mammalian live cells. Our system demonstrates strong fluorescence enhancement in live-cell imaging, enabling time-resolved imaging of dynamic processes such as stress-granule formation. Notably, we validate its application in STED super-resolution microscopy, establishing it as a powerful NIR imaging platform for RNA structures below the diffraction limit. Its orthogonality to existing FLAPs operating in the yellow-orange spectrum further broadens its versatility for exploring complex RNA dynamics in live cells.
Item Description:Online veröffentlicht: 8. Januar 2026
Gesehen am 09.03.2026
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/jacs.5c16419

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