Molecular recognition of live methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus cells using DNA aptamers

G-quadruplex aptamer targeting Protein A and its capability to detect Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated by ELONA

Aptamers for whole cell detection are selected mostly by the Cell-SELEX procedure. Alternatively, the use of specific cell surface epitopes as target during aptamer selections allows the development of aptamers with ability to bind whole cells. In this study, we integrated a formerly selected Protein A-binding aptamer PA#2/8 in an assay format called ELONA (Enzyme-Linked OligoNucleotide Assay) and evaluated the ability of the aptamer to recognise and bind to Staphylococcus aureus presenting Protein A on the cell surface. The full-length aptamer and one of its truncated variants could be demonstrated to specifically bind to Protein A-expressing intact cells of S. aureus, and thus have the potential to expand the portfolio of aptamers that can act as an analytical agent for the specific recognition and rapid detection of the bacterial pathogen. The functionality of the aptamer was found to be based on a very complex, but also highly variable structure. Two structural key elements were identified. The aptamer sequence contains several G-clusters allowing folding into a G-quadruplex structure with the potential of dimeric and multimeric assembly. An inverted repeat able to form an imperfect stem-loop at the 5'-end also contributes essentially to the aptameric function.

Generating Cell Targeting Aptamers for Nanotheranostics Using Cell-SELEX

Detecting and understanding changes in cell conditions on the molecular level is of great importance for the accurate diagnosis and timely therapy of diseases. Cell-based SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment), a foundational technology used to generate highly-specific, cell-targeting aptamers, has been increasingly employed in studies of molecular medicine, including biomarker discovery and early diagnosis/targeting therapy of cancer. In this review, we begin with a mechanical description of the cell-SELEX process, covering aptamer selection, identification and identification, and aptamer characterization; following this introduction is a comprehensive discussion of the potential for aptamers as targeting moieties in the construction of various nanotheranostics. Challenges and prospects for cell-SELEX and aptamer-based nanotheranostic are also discussed.

Development of a panel of DNA Aptamers with High Affinity for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer costs nearly 40,000 lives in the U.S. each year and has one of the lowest survival rates among cancers. Effective treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is hindered by lack of a reliable biomarker. To address this challenge, aptamers were selected by cell-SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) targeting human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PL45). Five promising aptamers presenting low K_d values and good specificity were generated. Among these five aptamers, one was tailored into a nanostructure carrying a high drug payload for specific drug delivery. The results show a viability of almost 80% for negative cells while only 50% of the target cells remained alive after 48 h incubation. These results lead to the conclusion that further research could reveal protein biomarkers specific to pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with probes available for early detection.

In vitro Selection and Interaction Studies of a DNA Aptamer Targeting Protein A

A new DNA aptamer targeting Protein A is presented. The aptamer was selected by use of the FluMag-SELEX procedure. The SELEX technology (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) is widely applied as an in vitro selection and amplification method to generate target-specific aptamers and exists in various modified variants. FluMag-SELEX is one of them and is characterized by the use of magnetic beads for target immobilization and fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides for monitoring the aptamer selection progress. Structural investigations and sequence truncation experiments of the selected aptamer for Protein A led to the conclusion, that a stem-loop structure at its 5’-end including the 5’-primer binding site is essential for aptamer-target binding. Extensive interaction analyses between aptamer and Protein A were performed by methods like surface plasmon resonance, MicroScale Thermophoresis and bead-based binding assays using fluorescence measurements. The binding of the aptamer to its target was thus investigated in assays with immobilization of one of the binding partners each, and with both binding partners in solution. Affinity constants were determined in the low micromolar to submicromolar range, increasing to the nanomolar range under the assumption of avidity. Protein A provides more than one binding site for the aptamer, which may overlap with the known binding sites for immunoglobulins. The aptamer binds specifically to both native and recombinant Protein A, but not to other immunoglobulin-binding proteins like Protein G and L. Cross specificity to other proteins was not found. The application of the aptamer is directed to Protein A detection or affinity purification. Moreover, whole cells of Staphylococcus aureus, presenting Protein A on the cell surface, could also be bound by the aptamer.