Synthetic nanoparticles for cell-type specific, spatially resolved loading and export of MiRNAs in neural cells

TL;DR

Researchers developed a new method using synthetic nanoparticles to study miRNA activity in specific brain cells and subcellular regions.

Contribution

The novel SNaP system enables cell-type and subcellular-specific miRNA loading and export in neural cells.

Findings

SNaP nanoparticles can be tailored for lineage-restricted miRNA export in neural cells.

Incorporating a dendritic localization signal improves post-synaptic miRNA recovery.

SNaP supports high-resolution profiling of miRNAs in polarized or heterogeneous neural systems.

Abstract

Brain development and plasticity depend on specific microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns across cell types and subcellular compartments. Nevertheless, comprehensive profiling of localized brain miRNAs is still limited by challenges in isolating individual cell types or compartments and in detection sensitivity.

To overcome these limitations, we advanced HIV-1 Gag’s ability to bind host miRNAs within Virus-like Particles to develop Synthetic Nano-Particles for Precise endogenous miRNA loading and export (SNaP). Our data establish SNaP’s modularity and portability to clinically relevant neural cells, with particle yields matching benchmark packaging cells. The integration of SNaP with a cell-specific promoter enabled lineage-restricted miRNA export, while incorporating a dendritic localization signal improved the specificity of post-synaptic miRNA recovery over traditional synaptosomes. Additional engineering with a miRNA-binding module synergistically increased synaptic miRNA packaging in a sequence-independent manner.

Collectively, this work positions SNaP as a technological advancement supporting the high-resolution, spatially resolved profiling of miRNAs, adaptable to diverse polarized or heterogeneous culture systems.

SNaP: Gag-based nanoparticles for spatially resolved neuronal miRNome profiling

SNaP: Gag-based nanoparticles for spatially resolved neuronal miRNome profiling

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-026-04034-9.

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