Class-specific aptamer

In vitro selection generates RNA and DNA sequences that can bind to target molecules with extremely high affinity and specificity. Aptamers are considered as a promising class of compounds with a wide range of application in therapeutics (Famulok et al., 2000 Toulme, 2000 White et al., 2000), diagnostics (Brody et... 

We now have a new class of biosensors, aptasensors, which use aptamers as highly selective recognition elements. As receptor molecules, aptamers allow widespread applicability to a diverse array of target analytes due to their analyte-impartial synthetic generation process. Aptasensors realized on micro- and nanoscale platforms afford many potential advantages, such as miniaturized construction rapid, sensitive, and specific detection high throughput reduced... 

Selectivity of the DNA-based biosensor It can be truely considered as an analj ical parameter regarding the analj e detected such as a specific ssDNA base sequence or protein interacting with nucleic acid aptamer. Generally, class selectivity to DNA as the recognition element itself can be considered (e.g., at damage to DNA). 

Evidence supporting this theory first came from Tom Cech and Sidney Altman s groups, which showed that extant RNAs can function as enzymes, termed ribozymes [8, 9]. Both synthetic and naturally-occurring ribozymes have been shown to make (ligate) and break phosphodiester bonds (the polyanionic backbone of nucleic acids) [10-12], and a derivative of the Class I ligase ribozyme [13] can polymerize up to 95 nucleotides on an RNA primer [14], In addition, RNAs can fold into structures that bind to specific targets. Such RNAs are known as aptamers (from the Latin aptus, meaning to fit ). Many people believe that RNA should be able to direct its own replication. 

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