Researchers develop new CRISPR method to track plant RNA dynamics

PLOS Biology reported that researchers have developed a binding-activated CRISPR-dCas13X imaging system to track native RNA molecules in living plant cells. The team included Jiayu Zhang, Yiran Tao, Yun Zhao, Miaomiao Lei, Yucheng Shen, Qicong Li, Chenxu Liu, and Jiuyuan Bai from the Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of the Ministry of Education. The study was published on October 6, 2026. [1]

Visualizing spatiotemporal RNA dynamics at single-transcript resolution in living plant cells has historically been difficult because unique plant cell features cause high background noise. According to PLOS Biology, the novel dCas13X platform overcomes high background fluorescence to achieve single-transcript-level sensitivity. This technique provides detailed insights into the dynamics of messenger RNA trafficking. [1]

CRISPR systems originate as heritable antiviral defense mechanisms in prokaryotic organisms like bacteria and archaea. Prokaryotes store DNA fragments from past viruses to recognize and destroy similar targeted genetic material during future infections. CRISPR sequences appear in roughly half of sequenced bacterial genomes and nearly 90 percent of sequenced archaeal genomes. [2]

The adaptation of CRISPR tools for genomic engineering won Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. While early CRISPR systems focused on DNA editing, modified variants now allow researchers to monitor and image RNA molecules in living cells. [3]