Intracellular RNA Labeling Technologies for the Analysis of RNA Biology

As a cornerstone of the central dogma of molecular biology, RNA plays vital roles in living organisms. Over the past few decades, many RNA labeling technologies have been developed to elucidate the biological function of RNA. These technologies have significantly advanced our understanding of RNA secondary structure, localization, and turnover. Additionally, taking advantage of these innovative RNA labeling approaches, plenty of tool kits have been devised for the regulation of RNA-related biological process, such as gene expression and gene editing. In this review, we primarily focus on an array of intracellular RNA labeling methods, encompassing chemical probes-based labeling, metabolic labeling, and proximity-dependent labeling. We also provide a brief overview of their applications in the research of RNA biology. Finally, the perspectives of RNA labeling are also discussed.