Imaging mRNA trafficking in living cells using fluorogenic proteins.

mRNAs play key roles in regulating diverse cellular functions. In many cases, mRNAs exhibit distinct intracellular localizations that are necessary for the spatiotemporal control of protein expression in cells. Therefore, imaging the localization and dynamics of these mRNAs is crucial for understanding diverse aspects of cellular function. In this review, we summarize how mRNA imaging can be achieved using tethered fluorescent proteins and fluorogenic aptamers. We discuss 'fluorogenic proteins' and describe how these recently developed RNA-regulated fluorescent proteins simplify mRNA imaging experiments.