Light-activatable molecular beacons with a caged loop sequence.

We have synthesized molecular beacons with caged nucleobases in the loop region. These constructs remain non-fluorescent in the presence of their target RNA but can be fully activated by light (366 or 405 nm) in vitro and in HEK293 cells. We suggest that this technology will be useful for single molecule RNA tracking in living cells. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012