Division of Environmental Biotechnology, Genetics & Molecular Biology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab, India.
Methods Mol Biol. 2024;2822:157-173. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3918-4_12.
RNA (ribonucleic acid) plays a crucial role in various cellular processes and is involved in the development and progression of several diseases. RNA molecules have gained considerable attention as potential biomarkers for various ailments, as they reflect the activity of genes in a particular cell or tissue. By measuring the levels of specific RNA molecules, such as messenger RNA (mRNA), noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), researchers can infer the expression patterns of genes associated with a particular disease. Aberrant expression of specific miRNAs or lncRNAs has been associated with conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and more. Detection and quantification of these RNAs in biological samples, such as blood or tissue, can provide valuable diagnostic or prognostic information. Yet their analysis is a challenging endeavor due to their length, sequence similarity across family members, sensitivity to disintegration, and low quantity in total samples. New advances in nanophotonics have provided novel options for fabrication of quantum dots (QDs)-based biosensing devices capable of detecting a variety of disease-specific RNAs. Thus, we proposed and designed a nanophotonic method employing oligonucleotide-conjugated quantum dot nanoconjugates for the rapid and accurate detection of RNAs. Despite the abundance of other molecules in the sample, the approach delivers highly selective, precise identification of the target RNAs. The data also indicated the method's great practicality and simplicity in determining RNAs selectively. Overall, the approach enables the evaluation of RNA expression in relation to the initial onset and progression of a human health disorder.
RNA（核糖核酸）在各种细胞过程中发挥着至关重要的作用，并且与多种疾病的发生和发展有关。RNA 分子作为各种疾病的潜在生物标志物引起了广泛关注，因为它们反映了特定细胞或组织中基因的活性。通过测量特定 RNA 分子（如信使 RNA（mRNA）、非编码 RNA，包括 microRNAs（miRNAs）和长非编码 RNA（lncRNAs））的水平，研究人员可以推断出与特定疾病相关的基因表达模式。特定 miRNAs 或 lncRNAs 的异常表达与癌症、心血管疾病、神经退行性疾病等疾病有关。在生物样本（如血液或组织）中检测和定量这些 RNA 可以提供有价值的诊断或预后信息。然而，由于其长度、家族成员之间的序列相似性、对分解的敏感性以及总样本中的数量低，对它们的分析是一项具有挑战性的任务。纳米光子学的新进展为制造基于量子点（QD）的生物传感设备提供了新的选择，这些设备能够检测各种与疾病相关的特定 RNA。因此，我们提出并设计了一种基于寡核苷酸偶联量子点纳米复合物的纳米光子学方法，用于快速准确地检测 RNA。尽管样品中存在大量其他分子，但该方法可实现对靶 RNA 的高度选择性、精确识别。该数据还表明，该方法在确定 RNA 选择性方面具有很好的实用性和简单性。总的来说，该方法能够评估与人类健康障碍初始发作和进展相关的 RNA 表达。
