Intracellular ph sensor using nucleic acid assemblies
AssigneeNational Centre for Biological Sciences
InventorsYamuna Krishnan, Satyajit Mayor, Souvik Modi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are nucleic acid-based sensors for measuring the pH of a sample, including cells, regions thereof, and whole organisms. The sensor includes an I-switch that is triggered by protons, and which functions as a FRET-based pH sensor inside living cells and organisms. Also disclosed are compositions and methods for measuring the pH of a specific region of a cell, such as vesicles, the nucleus, mitochondrial matrix, or the Golgi lumen.
Claims20
A method for determining the pH of a cell or region thereof comprising:
- contacting the cell or region thereof with one or more indicators having at least two i-motif forming sequences, wherein one or more first i-motif forming sequences are labeled with a first member of a label pair and one or more second i-motif forming sequences are labeled with a second member of a label pair, wherein the one or more first i-motif forming sequences and the one or more second i-motif forming sequences form one or more i-motifs in response to exposure to one or more pH conditions and the first and second members of the label pair interact;
- and
- detecting the presence, absence, or magnitude of a signal from the interacting label pair to determine the pH of the cell or region thereof.
A cell transfected with an indicator having at least two i-motif forming sequences, wherein one i-motif forming sequences is labeled with a first member of an interacting label pair and a second i-motif forming sequence is labeled with a second member of an interacting label pair, wherein an i-motif is formed under one or more pH conditions and the first and second members of the interacting label pair are brought into proximity and interact.
An organism transfected with an indicator having at least two i-motif forming sequences, wherein one i-motif forming sequence is labeled with a first member of an interacting label pair and a second i-motif forming sequence is labeled with a second member of an interacting label pair, wherein an i-motif is formed under one or more pH conditions and the first and second members of the interacting label pair are brought into proximity and interact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.