AI Insight
Researchers developed a new CRISPR-based imaging system that can track individual RNA molecules in living plant cells with high precision and minimal background noise. The system uses dCas13X protein coupled with a plant-specific degron tag that destroys unbound fluorescent probes while preserving signal from probes attached to target RNA. Using this platform, the team visualized FT mRNA movement between plant cells and identified the protein GRP7 as important for efficient RNA transport.
Why it matters
This technology enables scientists to observe how RNA molecules move and function in plants at unprecedented resolution, which could help understand plant development, flowering timing, and long-distance signaling. The ability to track specific RNAs in real-time may accelerate crop improvement efforts by revealing how plants coordinate growth and respond to environmental signals.
Understand the Science
by Jiayu Zhang, Yiran Tao, Yun Zhao, Miaomiao Lei, Yucheng Shen, Qicong Li, Chenxu Liu, Jiuyuan Bai
Visualizing the spatiotemporal dynamics of native RNA molecules with single-transcript-level sensitivity in living plant cells remains a formidable challenge due to the high background noise caused by the unique cellular architecture of plants. Here, using transiently transformed Nicotiana benthamiana cells and stable Arabidopsis thaliana lines, we present a high-signal-to-noise RNA imaging platform that couples CRISPR–dCas13X with a binding-associated fluorescence stabilization strategy. We identified a novel plant-specific degron that selectively targets unbound probes for proteasomal degradation while preserving target-associated signal in a manner consistent with binding-dependent protection, enabling high-fidelity detection of endogenous mRNA puncta with minimal perturbation. Leveraging this platform, we characterized dynamics of FT mRNA trafficking in living plant cells, including plasmodesmata-targeting, cell-to-cell trafficking, and long-distance movement. Loss-of-function analysis further identified the established RNA-binding protein GRP7 as a factor that contributes to efficient FT mRNA transport. This work establishes a useful toolkit for investigating plant RNA biology and provides mechanistic insight into the systemic transport of florigenic signals.
Source: A binding-activated CRISPR/dCas13X imaging system enables precise RNA tracking in plants