Abstract
Traditional molecular biology tools have elucidated the identities and
functions of RNA molecules, which are essential to the understanding of
gene transcription and protein translation. Deepening this research
field would further require the direct visualization of RNA dynamics
such as the DNA-RNA interactions and RNA-protein interactions. Towards
this goal, the rise of RNA imaging tools over the past 15 years has
reformed how we looked at these processes. In this emerging topic, we
first highlighted recent advances on three main RNA imaging tools based
on the species of interacting molecules: RNA-RNA pairing, RNA-protein
binding, and small molecule-RNA complex. We introduced the advantages of
these tools from a technical viewpoint, including binding affinity,
fluorescent turn-on ratio, stability, and impacts on targeted RNA. Next,
we discussed new rising opportunities and future directions, echoing the
state-of-the-art imaging tools in the fields of fluorescent proteins and
small fluorescent molecules. Together, we believe this emerging field
will bring new insights on how we study RNA biology in living systems.