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Fang Z, Feng X, Tang F, Jiang H, Han S, Tao R, Lu C. Aptamer Screening: Current Methods and Future Trend towards Non-SELEX Approach. BIOSENSORS 2024; 14:350. [PMID: 39056626 PMCID: PMC11274700 DOI: 10.3390/bios14070350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Aptamers are nucleic acid sequences that specifically bind with target molecules and are vital to applications such as biosensing, drug development, disease diagnostics, etc. The traditional selection procedure of aptamers is based on the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by an Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) process, which relies on repeating cycles of screening and amplification. With the rapid development of aptamer applications, RNA and XNA aptamers draw more attention than before. But their selection is troublesome due to the necessary reverse transcription and transcription process (RNA) or low efficiency and accuracy of enzymes for amplification (XNA). In light of this, we review the recent advances in aptamer selection methods and give an outlook on future development in a non-SELEX approach, which simplifies the procedure and reduces the experimental costs. We first provide an overview of the traditional SELEX methods mostly designed for screening DNA aptamers to introduce the common tools and methods. Then a section on the current screening methods for RNA and XNA is prepared to demonstrate the efforts put into screening these aptamers and the current difficulties. We further predict that the future trend of aptamer selection lies in non-SELEX methods that do not require nucleic acid amplification. We divide non-SELEX methods into an immobilized format and non-immobilized format and discuss how high-resolution partitioning methods could facilitate the further improvement of selection efficiency and accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Fang
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-Products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (Z.F.); (X.F.); (F.T.); (H.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Xiaorui Feng
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-Products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (Z.F.); (X.F.); (F.T.); (H.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Fan Tang
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-Products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (Z.F.); (X.F.); (F.T.); (H.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Han Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-Products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (Z.F.); (X.F.); (F.T.); (H.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Shuyuan Han
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-Products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (Z.F.); (X.F.); (F.T.); (H.J.); (S.H.)
| | - Ran Tao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Chenze Lu
- Key Laboratory of Specialty Agri-Products Quality and Hazard Controlling Technology of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; (Z.F.); (X.F.); (F.T.); (H.J.); (S.H.)
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Uppal GK, Poolsup S, Zaripov E, Gu Y, Berezovski MV. Comparative analysis of aptamers binding to SARS-CoV-2 N protein using capillary electrophoresis and bio-layer interferometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 2024; 416:1697-1705. [PMID: 38305861 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-024-05174-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Aptamers are increasingly employed in SARS-CoV-2 theragnostics in recent years. Characterization of aptamers, testing affinity and kinetic parameters (e.g., equilibrium dissociation constant (KD), kon, and koff), can be done by several methods and influenced by many factors. This study aims to characterize the binding of aptamers to SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein using capillary electrophoresis (CE) and bio-layer interferometry (BLI). These two analytical methods differ by how the aptamer binds to its target protein once the aptamer, as a capture ligand, is partitioned in solution (CE) or immobilized on the biosensor (BLI). With CE, the KD values of the N-binding aptamers (tNSP1, tNSP2, and tNSP3) were determined to be 18 ± 4 nM, 45 ± 11 nM, and 32 ± 7 nM, respectively, while the KD measurements by BLI yielded 4.8 ± 0.6, 4.5 ± 0.5, and 2.9 ± 0.3 nM, respectively. CE results showed a higher KD across all aptamers tested. The differences in the steric hindrance and confirmational structures of the aptamers immobilized on the BLI biosensors versus those suspended in the CE sample solution affect the molecular interactions between aptamers and the target proteins. Moreover, the buffer composition including pH and ionic strength can influence the stability of aptamer structures, or aptamer-protein complexes. All these variables affect the binding and calculated KD. In this sense, a KD value alone is not sufficient to make comparisons between aptamers; instead, the entire experimental setup should also be considered. This is particularly important when implementing aptamers in different bioanalytical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurcharan K Uppal
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Suttinee Poolsup
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Emil Zaripov
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Yuxuan Gu
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Maxim V Berezovski
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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Deng L, Fu Q, Zhang Y, Shui F, Tang J, Wu J, Zeng J. Study of molecular interactions by nonequilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixtures: Originations, developments, and applications. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:1664-1673. [PMID: 37621032 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Molecular interactions play a vital role in regulating various physiological and biochemical processes in vivo. Kinetic capillary electrophoresis (KCE) is an analytical platform that offers significant advantages in studying the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of molecular interactions. It enables the simultaneous analysis of these parameters within an interaction pattern and facilitates the screening of binding ligands with predetermined kinetic parameters. Nonequilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixtures (NECEEM) was the first proposed KCE method, and it has found widespread use in studying molecular interactions involving proteins/aptamers, proteins/small molecules, and peptides/small molecules. The successful applications of NECEEM have demonstrated its promising potential for further development and broader application. However, there has been a dearth of recent reviews on NECEEM. To address this gap, our study provides a comprehensive description of NECEEM, encompassing its origins, development, and applications from 2015 to 2022. The primary focus of the applications section is on aptamer selection and screening of small-molecule ligands. Furthermore, we discuss important considerations in NECEEM experimental design, such as buffer suitability, detector selection, and protein adsorption. By offering this thorough review, we aim to contribute to the understanding, advancement, and wider utilization of NECEEM as a valuable tool for studying molecular interactions and facilitating the identification of potential ligands and targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Deng
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Qifeng Fu
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Yujie Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Fan Shui
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Jia Tang
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Jianming Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
- School of Basic Medical Science, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Jing Zeng
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P. R. China
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Malá Z, Gebauer P. Analytical isotachophoresis 1967–2022: From standard analytical technique to universal on-line concentration tool. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Recent progress in analytical capillary isotachophoresis (2018 - March 2022). J Chromatogr A 2022; 1677:463337. [PMID: 35868155 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2022.463337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This review brings a survey of papers on analytical capillary and microchip isotachophoresis published since 2018 until the first quarter of 2022. Theoretical papers extending fundamental knowledge include those on computer simulations that remain an important research tool useful in the design of electrolyte systems. Many papers are focused on instrumental aspects where new media including microfluidic devices and their hyphenation to various detection techniques bring remarkable results. Papers reporting analytical applications demonstrate the potential of contemporary analytical isotachophoresis. Although it is not being used on a mass scale, its special features are attracting continued interest resulting in applications of isotachophoresis both as a stand-alone analytical method and as a part of multidimensional separation techniques.
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Wolfbeis OS. Fluorescent chameleon labels for bioconjugation and imaging of proteins, nucleic acids, biogenic amines and surface amino groups. a review. Methods Appl Fluoresc 2021; 9. [PMID: 34340216 DOI: 10.1088/2050-6120/ac1a0a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chameleon labels (ChLs) possess the unique property of changing (visible) color and fluorescence on binding to amino groups of biomolecules. MostChLs react with primary aliphatic amino groups such as those in lysine or with amino groups artificially introduced into polynucleic acids or saccharides, but someothers also react with secondary amino groups. Under controlled circumstances, the reactions are fairly specific. The review is subdivided into the following sections: (1) An introduction and classification of fluorescent labels; (2) pyrylium labels that undergo shortwave color changes upon labelling, typically from blue to red; (3) polymethine type of labels (that also undergo shortwave color changes, typically from green to blue; (4) various other (less common) chromogenic and fluorogenic systems; (5) hemicyanine labels that undergolongwavecolor changes, typically from yellow to purple; (6) the application of ChLs to labeling of proteins and oligonucleotides; (7) applications to fluorometric assays and sensing; (8) applications to fluorescence imaging of biomolecules; (9) applications in studies on affinity interactions (receptor-ligand binding); (10) applications in surface and interface chemistry; and (11) applications in chromatography, electrophoresis and isotachophoresis of biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otto S Wolfbeis
- University of Regensburg, Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Chemo- and Biosensors, 94040 Regensburg, Germany
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