Nucleic acid aptamers

Oligonucleic acid or peptide molecules that bind a specific target molecule. Nucleic acid aptamer species can be engineered through treated rounds of in vitro selection to bind to various molecular targets such as... 

Prerequisites to this approach are methods of incorporating non-natural moieties at predetermined positions in the biopolymer. This volume is meant to serve as a source in this respect describing the state of the art of some major lines of attack with this goal in mind. As a modern alternative, the creation of novel catalysts by directed evolution of nucleic acid aptamers is included. In this case, too, it is of prime importance to learn about the structural details which cooperate to bring about the catalytic function underlying the selection process. 

Cerchia L, de Franciscis V (2011) Nucleic acid aptamers against protein kinases. Curr Med Chem 18 4152 158... 

Kusser W (2000) Chemically modified nucleic acid aptamers for in vitro selections evolving evolution. J Biotechnol 74 27-38... 

It is not surprising that wide range of aptamer-based sensors (aptasensors) have been reported in the literature.118-120 Recently, electrochemical aptamer sensors gained considerable attention.121,122 Since, nucleic acids aptamers fold their structure upon binding to the target molecule, formation of the aptamer-target complex can be... 

Famulok, M., Mayer, G. and Blind, M. (2000) Nucleic acid aptamers-from selection in vitro to applications in vivo. Ace. Chem. Res., 33, 591-599. 

Silverman, S. K. (2009). Artificial functional nucleic acids Aptamers, ribozymes, and deoxyribozymes identified by in vitro selection. In Functional Nucleic Acids for Analytical Applications, (Y. Li and Y. Lu, eds.), pp. 47-108. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, New York. 

The SELEX technology (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment) was introduced by Larry Gold and Jack Szostak [1, 2] and provides a powerful tool for the in vitro selection of nucleic acids (aptamers) from combinatorial DNA or RNA libraries against a target molecule. 

T. Hermann and D.J. Patel. 2000. Adaptive recognition by nucleic acid aptamers Science 287 820-825. (PubMed)... 

Hermann, T. Patel, D. J., Adaptive recognition by nucleic acid aptamers, Science 2000, 287, 820-825... 

Conrad, R.C., Giver, L., Tian, Y. and Ellington, A.D. (1996). In vitro selection of nucleic acid aptamers that bind proteins. Meth. Enzymol. 267, 336-367. 

Navani, N. K. and Y. Li (2006). Nucleic acid aptamers and enzymes as sensors. Curr Opin Chem Biol 10, 272-281... 

Figure 10.14 Molecular recognition of peptide (panel a) by nucleic acid aptamers (b c) and of proteins by nucleic acid aptamers (d e). Aptamers are rendered throughout in ribbon representation (grey) peptide (yellow-brown) as a-carbon backbone trace with amino acid side chains in a stick representation protein (yellow brown) in cartoon representation (d) and Van der Waals surface representation...

Covalent mRNA-protein fusions were displayed on single-stranded DNA arrays through nucleic acid hybridization of the mRNA in the fusion molecule [112]. Similarly, capture agents such as nucleic acid aptamers have also been proposed for use in protein binding [113,114]. 

Rimmele, M., (2003). Nucleic acid aptamers as tools and drugs recent developments. ChemBioChem 4, 963-971. 

In this chapter we discuss mainly the development of easily fabricated aptasen-sors label-free aptasensors. As novel functional nucleic acids, aptamers have displayed many advantages over traditional recognition elements, especially in simplifying the entire detection process. Thus, usually, such simple routes are fast, sensitive, and selective, and defaults must be considered. It is found that many of the easy routes are not applicable to practical detection, or rather, detection in complex biological conditions. Sensors used when no labeling is required, especially, sometimes seem to be too smartly designed to overcome disturbances in practical samples that contain various types of complexes. Therefore, more effort will be needed before these sensors can be used successfully in practical samples. 

Elowe, N. H., Nutiu, R., AUah-Hassani, A., Cechetto, J. D., Hughes, D. W., Li, Y. F., Brown, E. A. (2006). SmaU-molecule screening made simple for a difficult target with a signaling nucleic acid aptamer that reports on deaminase activity. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 45, 5648-5652. 

Li, T., Li, B. L., Dong, S. J. (2007a). Adaptive recognition of small molecules by nucleic acid aptamers through a label-free approach. Chem Euro J 13, 6718-6723. 

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