Nucleic Acids Research Advance Access originally published online on November 29, 2008
Nucleic Acids Research 2009 37(2):e10; doi:10.1093/nar/gkn965
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Nucleic Acids Research, 2009, Vol. 37, No. 2 e10
© 2008 The Author(s)
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Methods Online |
Molecule-level imaging of Pax6 mRNA distribution in mouse embryonic neocortex by molecular interaction force microscopy
1Center for Integrated Molecular Systems, Department of Chemistry, 2National Core Research Center for Systems Bio-Dynamics, 3Division of Molecular and Life Sciences and 4School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, San 31 Hyoja-dong, Pohang, 790-784, South Korea
*To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +82 54 279 2119; Fax: +82 54 279 0653; Email: jwpark{at}postech.ac.kr
Correspondence may also be addressed to Hong Gil Nam. Tel: +82 54 279 2111; Fax: +82 54 279 5972; Email: nam{at}postech.ac.kr
Received August 12, 2008. Revised November 14, 2008. Accepted November 16, 2008.
Detection of the cellular and tissue distributions of RNA species is critical in our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying cellular and tissue differentiation. Here, we show that an atomic force microscope tip modified with 27-acid dendron, a cone shaped molecule with 27 monomeric units forming its base, can be successfully used to map the spatial distribution of mouse Pax6 mRNA on sectioned tissues of the mouse embryonic neocortex. Scanning of the sectioned tissue with a 30-mer DNA probe attached to the apex of the dendron resulted in detection of the target mRNA on the tissue section, permitting mapping of the mRNA distribution at nanometer resolution. The unprecedented sensitivity and resolution of this process should be applicable to identification of molecular level distribution of various RNAs in a cell.
Present Address: Yu Jin Jung, Biotechnology Center, University of Technology Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
The authors wish it to be known that, in their opinion, the first two authors should be regarded as joint First Authors.