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Kumar S, Mohan A, Sharma NR, Kumar A, Girdhar M, Malik T, Verma AK. Computational Frontiers in Aptamer-Based Nanomedicine for Precision Therapeutics: A Comprehensive Review. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:26838-26862. [PMID: 38947800 PMCID: PMC11209897 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c02466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
In the rapidly evolving landscape of nanomedicine, aptamers have emerged as powerful molecular tools, demonstrating immense potential in targeted therapeutics, diagnostics, and drug delivery systems. This paper explores the computational features of aptamers in nanomedicine, highlighting their advantages over antibodies, including selectivity, low immunogenicity, and a simple production process. A comprehensive overview of the aptamer development process, specifically the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) process, sheds light on the intricate methodologies behind aptamer selection. The historical evolution of aptamers and their diverse applications in nanomedicine are discussed, emphasizing their pivotal role in targeted drug delivery, precision medicine and therapeutics. Furthermore, we explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and nanotechnology in aptameric development, illustrating how these cutting-edge technologies are revolutionizing the selection and optimization of aptamers for tailored biomedical applications. This paper also discusses challenges in computational methods for advancing aptamers, including reliable prediction models, extensive data analysis, and multiomics data incorporation. It also addresses ethical concerns and restrictions related to AI and IoT use in aptamer research. The paper examines progress in computer simulations for nanomedicine. By elucidating the importance of aptamers, understanding their superiority over antibodies, and exploring the historical context and challenges, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners aiming to harness the full potential of aptamers in the rapidly evolving field of nanomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubham Kumar
- School
of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144001, India
| | - Anand Mohan
- School
of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144001, India
| | - Neeta Raj Sharma
- School
of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144001, India
| | - Anil Kumar
- Gene
Regulation Laboratory, National Institute
of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Madhuri Girdhar
- Division
of Research and Development, Lovely Professional
University, Phagwara 144401, Punjab, India
| | - Tabarak Malik
- Department
of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma University, MVJ4+R95 Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Awadhesh Kumar Verma
- School
of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144001, India
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2
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Coombes PE, Dickman MJ. Optimisation of denaturing ion pair reversed phase HPLC for the purification of ssDNA in SELEX. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1719:464699. [PMID: 38382212 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464699] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Aptamers have shown great promise as oligonucleotide-based affinity ligands for various medicinal and industrial applications. A critical step in the production of DNA aptamers via selective enhancement of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) is the generation of ssDNA from dsDNA. There are a number of caveats associated with current methods for ssDNA generation, which can lower success rates of SELEX experiments. They often result in low yields thereby decreasing diversity or fail to eliminate parasitic PCR by-products leading to accumulation of by-products from round to round. Both contribute to the failure of SELEX protocols and therefore potentially limit the impact of aptamers compared to their peptide-based antibody counterparts. We have developed a novel method using ion pair reversed phase HPLC (IP RP HPLC) employed under denaturing conditions for the ssDNA re-generation stage of SELEX following PCR. We have utilised a range of 5' chemical modifications on PCR primers to amplify PCR fragments prior to separation and purification of the DNA strands using denaturing IP RP HPLC. We have optimised mobile phases to enable complete denaturation of the dsDNA at moderate temperatures that circumvents the requirement of high temperatures and results in separation of the ssDNA based on differences in their hydrophobicity. Validation of the ssDNA isolation and purity assessment was performed by interfacing the IP RP HPLC with mass spectrometry and fluorescence-based detection. The results show that using a 5' Texas Red modification on the reverse primer in the PCR stage enabled purification of the ssDNA from its complimentary strand via IP RP HPLC under denaturing conditions. Additionally, we have confirmed the purity of the ssDNA generated as well as the complete denaturation of the PCR product via the use of mass-spectrometry and fluorescence analysis therefore proving the selective elimination of PCR by-products and the unwanted complementary strand. Following lyophilisation, ssDNA yields of up to 80% were obtained. In comparison the streptavidin biotin affinity chromatography also generates pure ssDNA with a yield of 55%. The application of this method to rapidly generate and purify ssDNA of the correct size, offers the opportunity to improve the development of new aptamers via SELEX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Coombes
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK
| | - Mark J Dickman
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK.
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3
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Casiraghi L, Mambretti F, Tovo A, Paraboschi EM, Suweis S, Bellini T. Synthetic eco-evolutionary dynamics in simple molecular environment. eLife 2024; 12:RP90156. [PMID: 38530348 PMCID: PMC10965223 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The understanding of eco-evolutionary dynamics, and in particular the mechanism of coexistence of species, is still fragmentary and in need of test bench model systems. To this aim we developed a variant of SELEX in vitro selection to study the evolution of a population of ∼1015 single-strand DNA oligonucleotide 'individuals'. We begin with a seed of random sequences which we select via affinity capture from ∼1012 DNA oligomers of fixed sequence ('resources') over which they compete. At each cycle ('generation'), the ecosystem is replenished via PCR amplification of survivors. Massive parallel sequencing indicates that across generations the variety of sequences ('species') drastically decreases, while some of them become populous and dominate the ecosystem. The simplicity of our approach, in which survival is granted by hybridization, enables a quantitative investigation of fitness through a statistical analysis of binding energies. We find that the strength of individual resource binding dominates the selection in the first generations, while inter- and intra-individual interactions become important in later stages, in parallel with the emergence of prototypical forms of mutualism and parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Casiraghi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Fratelli CerviSegrateItaly
| | - Francesco Mambretti
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di PadovaPadovaItaly
| | - Anna Tovo
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di PadovaPadovaItaly
| | - Elvezia Maria Paraboschi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi MontalciniPieve EmanueleItaly
- IRCCS, Humanitas Clinical and Research CenterRozzanoItaly
| | - Samir Suweis
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di PadovaPadovaItaly
| | - Tommaso Bellini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Fratelli CerviSegrateItaly
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4
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Ferreira L, Flanagan SP, Fogel R, Limson JL. Generation of epitope-specific hCG aptamers through a novel targeted selection approach. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295673. [PMID: 38394285 PMCID: PMC10890750 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone used as a biomarker for several medical conditions, including pregnancy, trophoblastic and nontrophoblastic cancers. Most commercial hCG tests rely on a combination of antibodies, one of which is usually specific to the C-terminal peptide of the β-subunit. However, cleavage of this region in many hCG degradation variants prevents rapid diagnostic tests from quantifying all hCG variants in serum and urine samples. An epitope contained within the core fragment, β1, represents an under-researched opportunity for developing immunoassays specific to most variants of hCG. In the study described here, we report on a SELEX procedure tailored towards the identification of two pools of aptamers, one specific to the β-subunit of hCG and another to the β1 epitope within it. The described SELEX procedure utilized antibody-blocked targets, which is an underutilized strategy to exert negative selection pressure and in turn direct aptamer enrichment to a specific epitope. We report on the first aptamers, designated as R4_64 and R6_5, each capable of recognising two distinct sites of the hCG molecule-the β-subunit and the (presumably) β1-epitope, respectively. This study therefore presents a new SELEX approach and the generation of novel aptamer sequences that display potential hCG-specific biorecognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Ferreira
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa
| | - Shane Patrick Flanagan
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa
| | - Ronen Fogel
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa
| | - Janice Leigh Limson
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa
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Le Dortz LL, Rouxel C, Leroy Q, Ducongé F, Boulouis HJ, Haddad N, Deshuillers PL, Lagrée AC. Aptamer selection against cell extracts containing the zoonotic obligate intracellular bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2465. [PMID: 38291133 PMCID: PMC10828505 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52808-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
A. phagocytophilum is a zoonotic and tick-borne bacterium, threatening human and animal health. Many questions persist concerning the variability of strains and the mechanisms governing the interactions with its different hosts. These gaps can be explained by the difficulty to cultivate and study A. phagocytophilum because of its strict intracellular location and the lack of specific tools, in particular monoclonal antibodies, currently unavailable. The objective of our study was to develop DNA aptamers against A. phagocytophilum, or molecules expressed during the infection, as new study and/or capture tools. Selecting aptamers was a major challenge due to the strict intracellular location of the bacterium. To meet this challenge, we set up a customized selection protocol against an enriched suspension of A. phagocytophilum NY18 strain, cultivated in HL-60 cells. The implementation of SELEX allowed the selection of three aptamers, characterized by a high affinity for HL-60 cells infected with A. phagocytophilum NY18 strain. Interestingly, the targets of these three aptamers are most likely proteins expressed at different times of infection. The selected aptamers could contribute to increase our understanding of the interactions between A. phagocytophilum and its hosts, as well as permit the development of new diagnostic, therapeutic or drug delivery appliances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Lucie Le Dortz
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France.
| | - Clotilde Rouxel
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Quentin Leroy
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Frédéric Ducongé
- CEA, Fundamental Research Division (DRF), Institute of Biology François Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, CNRS UMR9199, Paris-Saclay University, 92265, Fontenay-Aux-Roses, France
| | - Henri-Jean Boulouis
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Nadia Haddad
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France.
| | - Pierre Lucien Deshuillers
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Anne-Claire Lagrée
- Anses, INRAe, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Laboratory of Animal Health, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
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6
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Kumar S, Singh P, Verma SK. Selection of Highly Specific DNA Aptamer for the Development of QCM-Based Arsenic Sensor. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300585. [PMID: 37792297 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300585] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metal arsenic is a water pollutant that affects millions of lives worldwide. A novel aptamer candidate for specific and sensitive arsenic detection was identified using Graphene Oxide-SELEX (GO-SELEX). Eleven rounds of GO-SELEX were performed to screen As(III) specific sequences. The selected aptamer sequences were evaluated for their binding affinity. The dissociation constant of the best aptamer candidate, As-06 was estimated by fluorescence recovery upon target addition, and it was found to be 8.15 nM. A QCM-based biosensing platform was designed based on the target-triggered release of aptamer from the QCM electrode. An rGO-SWCNT nanocomposite was adsorbed on the gold surface, and the single-stranded probe was stacked on the rGO-CNT layer. Upon addition of the target to the solution, a concentration-dependent release of the ssDNA probe was observed and recorded as the change in the electrode frequency. The developed QCM sensor showed a dynamic linear range from 10 nM to 100 nM and a low detection limit of 8.6 nM. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity when challenged with common interfering anions and cations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Kumar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan, 333031, India
| | - Poonam Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan, 333031, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar Verma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan, 333031, India
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7
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Lin Y, Chen CY, Ku YC, Wang LC, Hung CC, Lin ZQ, Chen BH, Hung JT, Sun YC, Hung KF. A modified SELEX approach to identify DNA aptamers with binding specificity to the major histocompatibility complex presenting ovalbumin model antigen. RSC Adv 2023; 13:32681-32693. [PMID: 37936644 PMCID: PMC10626974 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra04686a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Aptamers have sparked significant interest in cell recognition because of their superior binding specificity and biocompatibility. Cell recognition can be mediated by targeting the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) that presents short peptides derived from intracellular antigens. Although numerous antibodies have demonstrated a specific affinity for the peptide-MHC complex, the number of aptamers that exhibit comparable characteristics is limited. Aptamers are usually selected from large libraries via the Systemic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX), an iterative process of selection and PCR amplification to enrich a pool of aptamers with high affinity. However, the success rate of aptamer identification is low, possibly due to the presence of complementary sequences or sequences rich in guanine and cytosine that are less accessible for primers. Here, we modified SELEX by employing systemic consecutive selections with minimal PCR amplification. We also modified the analysis by selecting aptamers that were identified in multiple selection rounds rather than those that are highly enriched. Using this approach, we were able to identify two aptamers with binding specificity to cells expressing the ovalbumin alloantigen as a proof of concept. These two aptamers were also discovered among the top 150 abundant candidates, despite not being highly enriched, by performing conventional SELEX. Additionally, we found that highly enriched aptamers tend to contain fractions of the primer sequence and have minimal target affinity. Candidate aptamers are easily missed in the conventional SELEX process. Therefore, our modification for SELEX may facilitate the identification of aptamers for more application in diverse biomedical fields. Significance: we modify the conventional method to improve the efficiency in the identification of the aptamer, a single strand of nucleic acid with binding specificity to the target molecule, showing as a proof of concept that this approach is particularly useful to select aptamers that can selectively bind to cells presenting a particular peptide by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the cell surface. Given that cancer cells may express mutant peptide-MHC complexes that are distinct from those expressed by normal cells, this study sheds light on the potential application of aptamers to cancer cell targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Lin
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital 201, Section 2, Shi-Pai Road Taipei 112 Taiwan +886-2-28712121-7382
| | - Cho-Yi Chen
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chia Ku
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Li-Chin Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Chia-Chien Hung
- School of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA USA
| | - Zhi-Qian Lin
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital 201, Section 2, Shi-Pai Road Taipei 112 Taiwan +886-2-28712121-7382
| | - Bing-Hong Chen
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital 201, Section 2, Shi-Pai Road Taipei 112 Taiwan +886-2-28712121-7382
| | | | - Yi-Chen Sun
- School of Medicine, Tzu-Chi University Hualien Taiwan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, The Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation New Taipei City Taiwan
| | - Kai-Feng Hung
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital 201, Section 2, Shi-Pai Road Taipei 112 Taiwan +886-2-28712121-7382
- Department of Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Taipei Taiwan
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8
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DeRosa M, Lin A, Mallikaratchy P, McConnell E, McKeague M, Patel R, Shigdar S. In vitro selection of aptamers and their applications. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2023; 3:55. [PMID: 37969927 PMCID: PMC10647184 DOI: 10.1038/s43586-023-00247-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of the in-vitro evolution method known as SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment) more than 30 years ago led to the conception of versatile synthetic receptors known as aptamers. Offering many benefits such as low cost, high stability and flexibility, aptamers have sparked innovation in molecular diagnostics, enabled advances in synthetic biology and have facilitated new therapeutic approaches. The SELEX method itself is inherently adaptable and offers near limitless possibilities in yielding functional nucleic acid ligands. This Primer serves to provide guidance on experimental design and highlight new growth areas for this impactful technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.C. DeRosa
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1T2S2
| | - A. Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
| | - P. Mallikaratchy
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, City University of New York School of Medicine, New York, NY 10031, USA
- Ph.D. Programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Ph.D. Program in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - E.M. McConnell
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1T2S2
| | - M. McKeague
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0B8
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3G 1Y6
| | - R. Patel
- Ph.D. Programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - S. Shigdar
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
- Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
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9
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Shien Yeoh T, Yusof Hazrina H, Bukari BA, Tang TH, Citartan M. Generation of an RNA aptamer against LipL32 of Leptospira isolated by Tripartite-hybrid SELEX coupled with in-house Python-aided unbiased data sorting. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 81:117186. [PMID: 36812779 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a potentially life-threatening zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira. The major hurdle of the diagnosis of Leptospirosis lies in the issues associated with current methods of detection, which are time-consuming, tedious and the need for sophisticated, special equipments. Restrategizing the diagnostics of Leptospirosis may involve considerations of the direct detection of the outer membrane protein, which can be faster, cost-saving and require fewer equipments. One such promising marker is LipL32, which is an antigen with high amino acid sequence conservation among all the pathogenic strains. In this study, we endeavored to isolate an aptamer against LipL32 protein via a modified SELEX strategy known as tripartite-hybrid SELEX, based on 3 different partitioning strategies. In this study, we also demonstrated the deconvolution of the candidate aptamers by using in-house Python-aided unbiased data sorting in examining multiple parameters to isolate potent aptamers. We have successfully generated an RNA aptamer against LipL32 of Leptospira, LepRapt-11, which is applicable in a simple direct ELASA for the detection of LipL32. LepRapt-11 can be a promising molecular recognition element for the diagnosis of leptospirosis by targeting LipL32.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzi Shien Yeoh
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Hamdani Yusof Hazrina
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Bakhtiar A Bukari
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, 3216 Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thean-Hock Tang
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Marimuthu Citartan
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia.
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10
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Liu X, Hu J, Ning Y, Xu H, Cai H, Yang A, Shi Z, Li Z. Aptamer Technology and Its Applications in Bone Diseases. Cell Transplant 2023; 32:9636897221144949. [PMID: 36591965 PMCID: PMC9811309 DOI: 10.1177/09636897221144949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids (DNA, short RNA, or other artificial molecules) produced by the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) technology, which can be tightly and specifically combined with desired targets. As a comparable alternative to antibodies, aptamers have many advantages over traditional antibodies such as a strong chemical stability and rapid bulk production. In addition, aptamers can bind targets in various ways, and are not limited like the antigen-antibody combination. Studies have shown that aptamers have tremendous potential to diagnose and treat clinical diseases. However, only a few aptamer-based drugs have been used because of limitations of the aptamers and SELEX technology. To promote the development and applications of aptamers, we present a review of the methods optimizing the SELEX technology and modifying aptamers to boost the selection success rate and improve aptamer characteristics. In addition, we review the application of aptamers to treat bone diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangzhong Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Wuhan Third
Hospital, Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Hu
- Wuhan Children’s Hospital, Tongji
Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Ning
- Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangyang
Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Hubei University of Chinese
Medicine, Xiangyang, China
| | - Haijia Xu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Wuhan Third
Hospital, Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hantao Cai
- Department of Orthopaedics, Wenling
First People’s Hospital, Taizhou, China
| | - Aofei Yang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Hubei
Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhengshuai Shi
- Department of Orthopaedics, Wuhan
Sports University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhanghua Li
- Department of Orthopaedics, Wuhan Third
Hospital, Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China,Zhanghua Li, Department of Orthopaedics,
Wuhan Third Hospital, Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 216, Guanshan
Avenue, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, Hubei Province, China.
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11
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Choukeife M, Jonczyk A, Mayer G. Implementation of Emulsion PCR for Amplification of Click-Modified DNA During SELEX. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2570:39-44. [PMID: 36156772 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2695-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Biased amplification of enriched DNA libraries is a limitation in the SELEX process and reduces the chances for successful enrichment of target-binding sequences. Implementation of emulsion PCR into click-SELEX protocols for targeting proteins or cells prevents the formation of by-products and increases the probability of successful enrichment of binding sequences. Through compartmentalization even poorly amplifiable sequences can be enriched, and by-products formed by product-product or product-primer hybridization are reduced to a minimum. In this chapter, we describe a protocol for emulsion PCR and subsequent DNA recovery for implementation into click-SELEX protocols using click-modified DNA. Our emulsion PCR protocol is easily integrated into existing SELEX protocols, requires no special laboratory equipment, and can be performed with easily commercially available reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moujab Choukeife
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Anna Jonczyk
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Günter Mayer
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. .,Center of Aptamer Research and Development, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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12
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Le Dortz LL, Rouxel C, Leroy Q, Brosseau N, Boulouis HJ, Haddad N, Lagrée AC, Deshuillers PL. Optimized Lambda Exonuclease Digestion or Purification Using Streptavidin-Coated Beads: Which One Is Best for Successful DNA Aptamer Selection? Methods Protoc 2022; 5:mps5060089. [PMID: 36412811 PMCID: PMC9680285 DOI: 10.3390/mps5060089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The high failure rate of the in vitro aptamer selection process by SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) limits the production of these innovative oligonucleotides and, consequently, limits their potential applications. The generation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is a critical step of SELEX, directly affecting the enrichment and the selection of potential binding sequences. The main goal of this study was to confirm the best method for generating ssDNA by comparing the purification of ssDNA, using streptavidin-coated beads, and lambda exonuclease digestion, and by improving ssDNA recovery through protocol improvements. In addition, three techniques for quantifying the ssDNA generated (Qubit vs. NanodropTM vs. gel quantification) were compared, and these demonstrated the accuracy of the gel-based quantification method. Lambda exonuclease digestion was found to be more efficient for ssDNA recovery than purification using streptavidin-coated beads, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In conclusion, this work provides a detailed and rigorous protocol for generating ssDNA, improving the chances of a successful aptamer selection process.
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13
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Kohlberger M, Gadermaier G. SELEX: Critical factors and optimization strategies for successful aptamer selection. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2022; 69:1771-1792. [PMID: 34427974 PMCID: PMC9788027 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Within the last decade, the application range of aptamers in biochemistry and medicine has expanded rapidly. More than just a replacement for antibodies, these intrinsically structured RNA- or DNA-oligonucleotides show great potential for utilization in diagnostics, specific drug delivery, and treatment of certain medical conditions. However, what is analyzed less frequently is the process of aptamer identification known as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) and the functional mechanisms that lie at its core. SELEX involves numerous singular processes, each of which contributes to the success or failure of aptamer generation. In this review, critical steps during aptamer selection are discussed in-depth, and specific problems are presented along with potential solutions. The discussed aspects include the size and molecule type of the selected target, the nature and stringency of the selection process, the amplification step with its possible PCR bias, the efficient regeneration of RNA or single-stranded DNA, and the different sequencing procedures and screening assays currently available. Finally, useful quality control steps and their role within SELEX are presented. By understanding the mechanisms through which aptamer selection is influenced, the design of more efficient SELEX procedures leading to a higher success rate in aptamer identification is enabled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kohlberger
- Department of BiosciencesParis Lodron University SalzburgSalzburgAustria,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Biosimilar CharacterizationParis Lodron University SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Gabriele Gadermaier
- Department of BiosciencesParis Lodron University SalzburgSalzburgAustria,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Biosimilar CharacterizationParis Lodron University SalzburgSalzburgAustria
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14
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Liu F, Zhang C, Duan Y, Ma J, Wang Y, Chen G. In vitro selection and characterization of a DNA aptamer targeted to Prorocentrum minimum-A common harmful algae. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 830:154771. [PMID: 35339548 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Prorocentrum minimum is a common diarrhetic shellfish toxins-producing marine microalga that may seriously endanger marine resources and cause great economic losses. The development of a novel rapid detection technique is of great importance for the prevention and control of the damage caused by P. minimum. In this study, the aptamer against P. minimum was for the first time generated from an artificially synthesized single-stranded DNA library by systematic evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment (SELEX), using P. minimum and P. minimum-related species, including Prorocentrum donghaiense, Prorocentrum lima and Prorocentrum micans as target and counter-screening species, respectively. The aptamer library was successfully obtained at the end of 18 rounds of SELEX-screening by continuously monitoring the binding ratio of the resultant ssDNA from each round. Three sequences (Apt 1, Apt 2 and Apt 3) with the highest frequency in the aptamer library resulted from high-throughput sequencing were first selected as candidate aptamers. The secondary structure of these sequences was predicted and analyzed. In addition, the specificity and affinity of these candidate aptamers were determined by flow cytometry analysis. The results indicated that these aptamers had high specificity and affinity, with a KD of (224.6 ± 8.8) nM (Apt 1), (286.6 ± 13.9) nM (Apt 2) and (388.5 ± 44.6) nM (Apt 3), respectively. Apt 1 was therefore chosen as the best aptamer against P. minimum. Finally, the fluorescence microscopic examination further confirmed that Apt 1 can well bind to P. minimum. In summary, Apt 1 may be promising for being used as a novel molecular recognition element for P. minimum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuguo Liu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, PR China; School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Chunyun Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, PR China; School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, PR China
| | - Yu Duan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, PR China
| | - Jinju Ma
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, PR China
| | - Guofu Chen
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai 264209, PR China.
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15
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Lapa SA, Antipova OS, Chudinov AV. New Method for Evaluating the Substrate Efficiency of Modified Deoxynucleoside Triphosphates for Selex. Mol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893322030086] [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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16
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El-Husseini DM, Sayour AE, Melzer F, Mohamed MF, Neubauer H, Tammam RH. Generation and Selection of Specific Aptamers Targeting Brucella Species through an Enhanced Cell-SELEX Methodology. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116131. [PMID: 35682807 PMCID: PMC9180945 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucellae are Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile coccobacilli causing brucellosis in man and animals. The disease is one of the most significant yet neglected global zoonoses. Especially in developing countries, brucellosis is causing public health problems and economic losses to private animal owners and national revenues. Composed of oligonucleotides, aptamers are chemical analogues of antibodies that are promising components for developing aptamer-based rapid, sensitive, and specific tests to identify the Brucella group of bacteria. For this purpose, aptamers were generated and selected by an enhanced protocol of cell systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (cell-SELEX). This enhanced cell-SELEX procedure involved the combination of both conventional and toggle cell-SELEX to boost the specificity and binding affinity to whole Brucella cells. This procedure, combined with high-throughput sequencing of the resulting aptamer pools, comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, and wet lab validation assays, led to the selection of a highly sensitive and specific aptamer for those Brucella species known to circulate in Egypt. The isolated candidate aptamer showed dissociation constant (KD) values of 43.5 ± 11, 61.5 ± 8, and 56 ± 10.8 nM for B. melitensis, B. abortus, and B. suis, respectively. This is the first development of a Brucella-specific aptamer using an enhanced combination of conventional and toggle cell-SELEX to the authors’ best knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia M. El-Husseini
- Biotechnology Department, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt
- Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 07743 Jena, Germany;
- Correspondence: (D.M.E.-H.); (F.M.)
| | - Ashraf E. Sayour
- Molecular Biomimetics Research Group, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt;
| | - Falk Melzer
- Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 07743 Jena, Germany;
- Correspondence: (D.M.E.-H.); (F.M.)
| | - Magda F. Mohamed
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt; (M.F.M.); (R.H.T.)
| | - Heinrich Neubauer
- Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Reham H. Tammam
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt; (M.F.M.); (R.H.T.)
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17
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Liu R, Zhang F, Sang Y, Katouzian I, Jafari SM, Wang X, Li W, Wang J, Mohammadi Z. Screening, identification, and application of nucleic acid aptamers applied in food safety biosensing. Trends Food Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2022.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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18
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Mukherjee S, Murata A, Ishida R, Sugai A, Dohno C, Hamada M, Krishna S, Nakatani K. HT-SELEX-based identification of binding pre-miRNA hairpin-motif for small molecules. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 27:165-174. [PMID: 34976435 PMCID: PMC8685993 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Selective targeting of biologically relevant RNAs with small molecules is a long-standing challenge due to the lack of clear understanding of the binding RNA motifs for small molecules. The standard SELEX procedure allows the identification of specific RNA binders (aptamers) for the target of interest. However, more effort is needed to identify and characterize the sequence-structure motifs in the aptamers important for binding to the target. Herein, we described a strategy integrating high-throughput (HT) sequencing with conventional SELEX followed by bioinformatic analysis to identify aptamers with high binding affinity and target specificity to unravel the sequence-structure motifs of pre-miRNA, which is essential for binding to the recently developed new water-soluble small-molecule CMBL3aL. To confirm the fidelity of this approach, we investigated the binding of CMBL3aL to the identified motifs by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy and its potential regulatory activity on dicer-mediated cleavage of the obtained aptamers and endogenous pre-miRNAs comprising the identified motif in its hairpin loop. This new approach would significantly accelerate the identification process of binding sequence-structure motifs of pre-miRNA for the compound of interest and would contribute to increase the spectrum of biomedical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjukta Mukherjee
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Asako Murata
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Ryoga Ishida
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 55N-06-10, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Ayako Sugai
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Chikara Dohno
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Michiaki Hamada
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 55N-06-10, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Sudhir Krishna
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Kazuhiko Nakatani
- Department of Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
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19
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Wu D, Gordon CKL, Shin JH, Eisenstein M, Soh HT. Directed Evolution of Aptamer Discovery Technologies. Acc Chem Res 2022; 55:685-695. [PMID: 35130439 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Although antibodies are a powerful tool for molecular biology and clinical diagnostics, there are many emerging applications for which nucleic acid-based aptamers can be advantageous. However, generating high-quality aptamers with sufficient affinity and specificity for biomedical applications is a challenging feat for most research laboratories. In this Account, we describe four techniques developed in our laboratory to accelerate the discovery of high-quality aptamer reagents that can achieve robust binding even for challenging molecular targets. The first method is particle display, in which we convert solution-phase aptamers into aptamer particles that can be screened via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to quantitatively isolate individual aptamer particles based on their affinity. This enables the efficient isolation of high-affinity aptamers in fewer selection rounds than conventional methods, thereby minimizing selection biases and reducing the emergence of artifacts in the final aptamer pool. We subsequently developed the multiparametric particle display (MPPD) method, which employs two-color FACS to isolate aptamer particles based on both affinity and specificity, yielding aptamers that exhibit excellent target binding even in complex matrixes such as serum. The third method is an alkyne-azide chemistry ("click chemistry")-based particle display (click-PD) that enables the generation and screening of "non-natural" aptamers with a wide range of base modifications. We have shown that these base-modified aptamers can achieve robust affinity and specificity for targets that have proven challenging or inaccessible with natural nucleotide-based aptamer libraries. Finally, we describe the non-natural aptamer array (N2A2) platform in which a modified benchtop sequencing instrument is used to characterize base-modified aptamers in high throughput, enabling the efficient identification of molecules with excellent affinity and specificity for their targets. This system first generates aptamer clusters on the flow-cell surface that incorporate alkyne-modified nucleobases and then performs a click reaction to couple those nucleobases to an azide-modified chemical moiety. This yields a sequence-defined array of tens of millions of base-modified sequences, which can then be characterized for affinity and specificity in a high-throughput fashion. Collectively, we believe that these advancements are helping to make aptamer technology more accessible, efficient, and robust, thereby enabling the use of these affinity reagents for a wider range of molecular recognition and detection-based applications.
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20
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Sednev MV, Liaqat A, Höbartner C. High-Throughput Activity Profiling of RNA-Cleaving DNA Catalysts by Deoxyribozyme Sequencing (DZ-seq). J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:2090-2094. [PMID: 35081311 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes have found broad application as useful tools for RNA biochemistry. However, tedious in vitro selection procedures combined with laborious characterization of individual candidate catalysts hinder the discovery of novel catalytic motifs. Here, we present a new high-throughput sequencing method, DZ-seq, which directly measures activity and localizes cleavage sites of thousands of deoxyribozymes. DZ-seq exploits A-tailing followed by reverse transcription with an oligo-dT primer to capture the cleavage status and sequences of both deoxyribozyme and RNA substrate. We validated DZ-seq by conventional analytical methods and demonstrated its utility by discovery of novel deoxyribozymes that allow for cleaving challenging RNA targets or the analysis of RNA modification states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maksim V Sednev
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Anam Liaqat
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Höbartner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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21
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Development of an optimization pipeline of asymmetric PCR towards the generation of DNA aptamers: a guide for beginners. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:31. [PMID: 34989899 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03209-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Asymmetric PCR is one of the most utilized strategies in ssDNA generation towards DNA aptamer generation due to its low cost, robustness and the low amount of starting template. Despite its advantages, careful optimization of the asymmetric PCR is still warranted to optimize the yield of ssDNA. In this present study, we have developed an extensive optimization pipeline that involves the optimization of symmetric PCR initially followed by the optimization of asymmetric PCR. In the asymmetric PCR, optimization of primer amounts/ratios, PCR cycles, annealing temperatures, template concentrations, Mg2+/dNTP concentrations and the amounts of Taq Polymerase was carried out. To further boost the generation of ssDNA, we have also integrated an additional single-stranded DNA generation method, either via lambda exonuclease or biotin-streptavidin-based separation into the optimization pipeline to further improve the yield of ssDNA generation. We have acquired 700 ± 11.3 and 820 ± 19.2 nM for A-PCR-lambda exonuclease and A-PCR-biotin-streptavidin-based separation, respectively. We urge to develop a separate optimization pipeline of asymmetric PCR for each different randomized ssDNA library before embarking on any SELEX studies.
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22
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Qi S, Duan N, Khan IM, Dong X, Zhang Y, Wu S, Wang Z. Strategies to manipulate the performance of aptamers in SELEX, post-SELEX and microenvironment. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 55:107902. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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23
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24
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A DNA Aptameric Ligand of Human Transferrin Receptor Generated by Cell-SELEX. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168923. [PMID: 34445629 PMCID: PMC8396340 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
General cancer-targeted ligands that can deliver drugs to cells have been given considerable attention. In this paper, a high-affinity DNA aptamer (HG1) generally binding to human tumor cells was evolved by cell-SELEX, and was further optimized to have 35 deoxynucleotides (HG1-9). Aptamer HG1-9 could be taken up by live cells, and its target protein on a cell was identified to be human transferrin receptor (TfR). As a man-made ligand of TfR, aptamer HG1-9 was demonstrated to bind at the same site of human TfR as transferrin with comparable binding affinity, and was proved to cross the epithelium barrier through transferrin receptor-mediated transcytosis. These results suggest that aptamer HG1-9 holds potential as a promising ligand to develop general cancer-targeted diagnostics and therapeutics.
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25
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Gooch J, Tungsirisurp S, Costanzo H, Napier R, Frascione N. Generating aptamers towards human sperm cells using massively parallel sequencing. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:5821-5834. [PMID: 34355252 PMCID: PMC8437879 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03562-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Determining the presence of sperm cells on an item or swab is often a crucial component of sexual offence investigation. However, traditional histological staining techniques used for the morphological identification of spermatozoa lack both specificity and sensitivity, making analysis a complex and time-consuming process. New methods for the detection of sperm cells based on aptamer recognition may be able to overcome these issues. In this work, we present the selection of ssDNA aptamers against human sperm cells using Cell-SELEX and massively parallel sequencing technologies. A total of 14 rounds of selection were performed following a modified Cell-SELEX protocol, which included additional steps for the isolation of spermatozoa from seminal fluid. Massively parallel sequencing using the Illumina Miseq platform was conducted on enriched aptamer pools to elucidate the structure of potential binders. A custom bioinformatics pipeline was also developed using Galaxy for the automated processing of sequencing datasets. This data revealed several promising aptamer candidates, which were shown to selectively bind sperm cells through both microscale thermophoresis and enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assays. These aptamers have the potential to increase the efficiency of sexual offence casework by facilitating sperm detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Gooch
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Sireethorn Tungsirisurp
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Hayley Costanzo
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Richard Napier
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Nunzianda Frascione
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9NH, UK.
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26
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Heredia FL, Roche-Lima A, Parés-Matos EI. A novel artificial intelligence-based approach for identification of deoxynucleotide aptamers. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009247. [PMID: 34343165 PMCID: PMC8362955 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The selection of a DNA aptamer through the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) method involves multiple binding steps, in which a target and a library of randomized DNA sequences are mixed for selection of a single, nucleotide-specific molecule. Usually, 10 to 20 steps are required for SELEX to be completed. Throughout this process it is necessary to discriminate between true DNA aptamers and unspecified DNA-binding sequences. Thus, a novel machine learning-based approach was developed to support and simplify the early steps of the SELEX process, to help discriminate binding between DNA aptamers from those unspecified targets of DNA-binding sequences. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach to identify aptamers were implemented based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML). NLP method (CountVectorizer) was used to extract information from the nucleotide sequences. Four ML algorithms (Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Gaussian Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machines) were trained using data from the NLP method along with sequence information. The best performing model was Support Vector Machines because it had the best ability to discriminate between positive and negative classes. In our model, an Accuracy (A) of 0.995, the fraction of samples that the model correctly classified, and an Area Under the Receiving Operating Curve (AUROC) of 0.998, the degree by which a model is capable of distinguishing between classes, were observed. The developed AI approach is useful to identify potential DNA aptamers to reduce the amount of rounds in a SELEX selection. This new approach could be applied in the design of DNA libraries and result in a more efficient and faster process for DNA aptamers to be chosen during SELEX. In this manuscript authors explain the development and validation of a novel artificial intelligence approach to support and simplify the early steps of the process from SELEX, to help discriminate binding between deoxynucleotide aptamers from those unspecified targets of DNA-binding sequences. The approach was implemented based on Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. CountVectorizer, a Natural Language Processing method, was used to extract information from nucleotide sequences. Four Machine Learning algorithms (Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Gaussian Naïve Bayes, and Support Vector Machines) were trained using data from the Natural Language Processing method along with sequence information. From these four trained machine learning algorithms, the best performance and selected model was Support Vectors Machines, because it had the best discriminatory metrics (i.e., Accuracy (A) = 0.995; AUROC (AU) = 0.998). In general, all models showed good metric results for predicting DNA aptamer sequences. The Machine Learning model complexity and difficult interpretation may hinder its application into the standard practice. For this reason, the development of a web-app is already taking place to facilitate the interpretation and application of the obtained results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances L. Heredia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, United States of America
| | - Abiel Roche-Lima
- Center for Collaborative Research in Health Disparities, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States of America
| | - Elsie I. Parés-Matos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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27
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Lee ES, Kim EJ, Park TK, Bae DW, Cha SS, Kim TW, Kim YP. Gold nanoparticle-assisted SELEX as a visual monitoring platform for the development of small molecule-binding DNA aptasensors. Biosens Bioelectron 2021; 191:113468. [PMID: 34233257 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2021.113468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
To resolve time-consuming and imperceptible monitoring problems in the traditional systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), we report gold nanoparticle-assisted SELEX (GNP-SELEX) as a visual, proofreading, and self-monitoring platform and its application to small molecule-binding single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) aptasensors. Through the colorimetric changes between rounds, GNP-SELEX enabled the rapid determination of target-specific aptamer library enrichment with neither target modification nor extra monitoring process. We identified ssDNA aptamers with high selectivity and binding affinity by targeting two small molecules (brassinolide; BL and bisphenol A; BPA) as a model. The rational design of selected aptamers by 3D molecular simulation increased their ability to detect BL or BPA in real samples as bioreceptors. These results suggest that GNP-SELEX is useful as a self-monitoring platform to discover ssDNA aptamers as well as to develop aptasensors for diverse targets in a rapid and simple way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Song Lee
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Ji Kim
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Ki Park
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Da-Woon Bae
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Shin Cha
- Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Wuk Kim
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
| | - Young-Pil Kim
- Department of Life Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea; Department of HY-KIST Bio-Convergence, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
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28
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Chen J, Liu X, Xu M, Li Z, Xu D. Accomplishment of one-step specific PCR and evaluated SELEX process by a dual-microfluidic amplified system. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2021; 15:024107. [PMID: 33841601 PMCID: PMC8024032 DOI: 10.1063/5.0045965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
One of the main obstacles for systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) failure is the generation of a non-specific product, as selection-inherent amplification procedures tend to form by-products, which prevents the enrichment of target-binding aptamers. Herein, we reported a dual-microfluidic amplified system (dual-MAS) based on the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection chip and the large volume PCR chip for one-step specific PCR and for evaluating the SELEX process. First, it is a simple method to accomplish analytical PCR and amplification PCR in one step, and the optimal number of cycles for generating the specific PCR product is the cycles when the slope of the linear amplification period of the real-time PCR curve begins to decrease. Second, the time used by the dual-MAS for generating a specific PCR product is reduced to 30 min, and the multi-functional dual-MAS can simultaneously evaluate the SELEX process by providing important information on the amounts of enriched sequences and the library diversity in every round of SELEX. In addition, pollution contamination and fragment loss can be significantly avoided in the closed chip. Last, the specific PCR product, the amounts of enriched sequences, and the library diversity can be obtained for every single SELEX in just 30 min. Compared with current methods, this system can reduce the time for generating a specific PCR product and SELEX, and it is easier to choose the optimal number of cycles for a specific PCR product. In a word, it is a sensitive, simple, and rapid strategy to improve the specificity of the PCR product and make the process of SELEX in a controlled way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Meng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhoumin Li
- Jinling College, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210089, China
| | - Danke Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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29
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Baba SA, Jain S, Navani NK. A reliable, quick and universally applicable method for monitoring aptamer SELEX progress. Gene 2021; 774:145416. [PMID: 33444681 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.145416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers for biosensing are developed from a complex ssDNA library through Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) process. Monitoring of SELEX process is crucial for generating high-affinity aptamers. Extant methods for monitoring aptamer selection are either arduous or give false-positive signals, which adversely impact the outcome of selection. We describe a colorimetric, simple and cost-effective, novel method to monitor the progress of in vitro selections. The power of rolling circle amplification (RCA) and inherent Horse Radish Peroxidase (HRP)-mimicking activity of G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme were employed to produce a colorimetric signal. A unique extension of DNA population at 3'-OH end by PCR generated concatenated repeats by rolling circle amplification (RCA) reaction. Oxidation of substrate ABTS (2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) in presence of H2O2 and hemin cofactor produced colorimetric signal. Analysis of the signal generated by the DNA pool bound to their target provided a quantitative measurement of SELEX. We demonstrate the reproducibility and accuracy of the method by evaluating the progress of two discrete selections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahnawaz A Baba
- Chemical Biology Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Shubham Jain
- Chemical Biology Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Naveen K Navani
- Chemical Biology Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India.
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30
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Chatterjee B, Kalyani N, Anand A, Khan E, Das S, Bansal V, Kumar A, Sharma TK. GOLD SELEX: a novel SELEX approach for the development of high-affinity aptamers against small molecules without residual activity. Mikrochim Acta 2020; 187:618. [PMID: 33074441 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-020-04577-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
GOLD SELEX, a novel SELEX approach has been developed that obviates the need for target immobilization for aptamer development. The approach purely relies on the affinity of the aptamers towards its target, to get detached from the gold nanoparticle (GNP) surface (weak attraction) after binding with its target. Thus, only the completely detached aptamers are selected for the next round of SELEX. This, in-process, also addresses the issue of residual binding and thus improves the sensitivity of the developed aptamers. As a proof of concept for establishing the utility of the approach for small molecules, we have developed aptamers against dichlorvos (DV), a pesticide in just 8 rounds. Using these aptamer candidates, we have developed an aptamer-NanoZyme (GNP having peroxidase mimic activity) based colorimetric assay. The developed aptamer displayed high affinity (Kd in sub micromolar range) and selectivity for DV. The developed assay could detect as low as 15 μM DV. The best-performing aptamer was also able to work in real samples like river water and commercial apple juice. The GOLD SELEX approach developed in this study, we believe, can act as a template for future SELEX strategy development and can replace the conventional SELEX strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bandhan Chatterjee
- Aptamer Technology and Diagnostics Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Clinical and Translational Research Group, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Neeti Kalyani
- Aptamer Technology and Diagnostics Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Clinical and Translational Research Group, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Anjali Anand
- Aptamer Technology and Diagnostics Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Clinical and Translational Research Group, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Eshan Khan
- Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Indore, 453552, India
| | - Soonjyoti Das
- Aptamer Technology and Diagnostics Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Clinical and Translational Research Group, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Vipul Bansal
- Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility, NanoBiotechnology Research Lab (NBRL), School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia
| | - Amit Kumar
- Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Indore, 453552, India
| | - Tarun Kumar Sharma
- Aptamer Technology and Diagnostics Laboratory, Multidisciplinary Clinical and Translational Research Group, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India.
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31
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Cui M, Zhang Y. Advancing DNA Steganography with Incorporation of Randomness. Chembiochem 2020; 21:2503-2511. [PMID: 32270906 PMCID: PMC7497043 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
DNA has become a promising candidate as a future data storage medium; this makes DNA steganography indispensable in DNA data security. PCR primers are conventional secret keys in DNA steganography. Brute force testing of different primers will be extremely time consuming, and practically unaffordable when high-throughput sequencing is used. However, the encrypted information can be sequenced and read once the primers are intercepted. A new steganography approach is needed to make the DNA-encoded information safer, if not unhackable. Mixing information-carrying DNA with a partially degenerated DNA library containing single or multiple restriction sites, we have built an additional protective layer that can be removed by desired restriction enzymes as secondary secret keys. As PCR is inevitable for reading DNA-encrypted information, heating will cause reshuffling and generate endonuclease-resistant mismatched duplexes, especially for DNA with high sequence diversity. Consequently, with the incorporation of randomness, DNA steganography possesses both quantum key distribution (QKD)-like function for detecting PCR by an interceptor and a self-destructive property. It is noteworthy that the background noise generated through the protective layer is independent from any sequencing technology including Sanger and high-throughput sequencing. With a DNA ink incorporating the steganography, we have shown that the authenticity of a piece of writing can be confirmed only by authorized persons with knowledge of all embedded keys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiying Cui
- B CUBE Center for Molecular BioengineeringTechnische Universität DresdenTatzberg 4101307DresdenGermany
| | - Yixin Zhang
- B CUBE Center for Molecular BioengineeringTechnische Universität DresdenTatzberg 4101307DresdenGermany
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32
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Mohammadinezhad R, Jalali SAH, Farahmand H. Evaluation of different direct and indirect SELEX monitoring methods and implementation of melt-curve analysis for rapid discrimination of variant aptamer sequences. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2020; 12:3823-3835. [PMID: 32676627 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay00491j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment (SELEX) is an iterative method for in vitro selection of aptamers from a random synthetic oligonucleotide library. Successful retrieving of aptamers by SELEX relies on optimization of various steps including target immobilization, aptamer partitioning, amplification, and ssDNA generation, which all require spending considerable effort and cost. Furthermore, due to the random nature of the initial library, SELEX may redirect toward the selection of low-affinity aptamers that are over-represented in the ssDNA population due to PCR bias. Thus, precise monitoring of the SELEX process is crucial to ensure the selection of target-specific aptamers. In the present study, we investigated the reliability and simplicity of different direct and indirect monitoring methods including UV-Vis spectroscopy, real-time PCR quantification and melt-curve analysis, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) for selection of DNA aptamers for a protein target. All the examined methods were capable of illustrating the gradual evolution of specific aptamers by the progression of SELEX and showed almost similar results regarding the identification of the enriched round of selection. Moreover, we describe the use of melt-curve analysis in the colony real-time PCR method as a simple, robust, and repeatable tool for pre-sequencing separation of distinct aptamer clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rezvan Mohammadinezhad
- Research Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Iran.
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33
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Percze K, Mészáros T. Analysis of Modified Nucleotide Aptamer Library Generated by Thermophilic DNA Polymerases. Chembiochem 2020; 21:2939-2944. [PMID: 32490558 PMCID: PMC7689754 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
One of the pivotal steps in aptamer selection is the amplification of target‐specific oligonucleotides by thermophilic DNA polymerases; it can be a challenging task if nucleic acids possessing modified nucleotides are to be amplified. Hence, the identification of compatible DNA polymerase and modified nucleotide pairs is necessary for effective selection of aptamers with unnatural nucleotides. We present an in‐depth study of using 5‐indolyl‐AA‐dUTP (TAdUTP) to generate oligonucleotide libraries for aptamer selection. We found that, among the eight studied DNA polymerases, only Vent(exo‐) and KOD XL are capable of adapting TAdUTP, and that replacing dTTP did not have a significant effect on the productivity of KOD XL. We demonstrated that water‐in‐oil emulsion PCR is suitable for the generation of aptamer libraries of modified nucleotides. Finally, high‐throughput sequence analysis showed that neither the error rate nor the PCR bias was significantly affected by using TAdUTP. In summary, we propose that KOD XL and TAdUTP could be effectively used for aptamer selection without distorting the sequence space of random oligonucleotide libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Percze
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Pathobiochemistry, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Tűzoltó u. 37-47, Ungarn
| | - Tamás Mészáros
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Pathobiochemistry, Semmelweis University, 1094, Budapest, Tűzoltó u. 37-47, Ungarn
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34
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Nehdi A, Samman N, Aguilar-Sánchez V, Farah A, Yurdusev E, Boudjelal M, Perreault J. Novel Strategies to Optimize the Amplification of Single-Stranded DNA. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:401. [PMID: 32432100 PMCID: PMC7214742 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of single stranded DNA plays a key role in in vitro selection of DNA aptamers and in other molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing and microarrays. Here we describe three novel methodologies for ssDNA production and amplification. Furthermore, we describe some previously unnoticed aspects of random DNA amplification. Our results showed that in asymmetric PCR the addition of a high melting temperature reverse primer blocked at its 3' end by a dideoxy nucleotide drives the reaction further toward ssDNA production. We demonstrated also that incorporation of internally inverted nucleotide/(s) in one primer can be used as a new method of polymerization termination. Using such modified primer, the PCR product includes two complementary DNA strands having different lengths and separable from one another by denaturing gel electrophoresis. In addition, we showed that nicking enzymes can be used to cleave the undesirable strand allowing the isolation of the target ssDNA strand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atef Nehdi
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia.,Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nosaibah Samman
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Azer Farah
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Emre Yurdusev
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Mohamed Boudjelal
- Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Medical Research Core Facility and Platforms, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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35
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Wang T, Yin W, AlShamaileh H, Zhang Y, Tran PHL, Nguyen TNG, Li Y, Chen K, Sun M, Hou Y, Zhang W, Zhao Q, Chen C, Zhang PZ, Duan W. A Detailed Protein-SELEX Protocol Allowing Visual Assessments of Individual Steps for a High Success Rate. Hum Gene Ther Methods 2020; 30:1-16. [PMID: 30700146 DOI: 10.1089/hgtb.2018.237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
As a nucleic acid alternative to traditional antibody, aptamer holds great potential in various fields of biology and medicine such as targeted gene therapy, drug delivery, bio-sensing, and laboratory medicine. Over the past decades, the conventional Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) method has undergone dramatic modifications and improvements owing to developments in material sciences and analytical techniques. However, many of the recently developed strategies either require complex materials and instruments or suffer from low efficiency and high failure rates in the selection of desired aptamers. Accordingly, the development of aptamers against new or novel targets is still a major obstacle for aptamer-based research and application. Here, an improved protein-SELEX procedure is presented for simplified and highly efficient isolation of aptamers against protein targets. Approaches are described that ensure a high success rate in aptamer selection by simplifying polymerase chain reaction procedures, introducing denature gel, utilizing an electro-elution-based single-stranded DNA separation strategy, as well as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based highly sensitive binding assay. In addition, a simplified sample preparation method for MiSeq-based next-generation sequencing is also introduced. While a recombinant protein as a bait protein for SELEX is discussed here, this protocol will also be invaluable for researchers wishing to develop aptamers against targets other than proteins such as small molecules, lipids, carbohydrates, cells, and micro-organisms for future gene therapy and/or diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- 1 School of Nursing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China.,2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
| | - Wang Yin
- 2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
| | - Hadi AlShamaileh
- 2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
| | - Yumei Zhang
- 2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
| | - Phuong Ha-Lien Tran
- 2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
| | - Tuong Ngoc-Gia Nguyen
- 2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
| | - Yong Li
- 3 Cancer Care Centre, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, and St. George and Sutherland Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Kuisheng Chen
- 4 Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, He'nan Key Laboratory of Tumor Pathology, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Miaomiao Sun
- 5 Department of Pathology, Affiliated Caner Hospital of Zhengzhou University and He'nan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yingchun Hou
- 6 Co-Innovation Center for Qinba Region Sustainable Development, Institute of Sports and Exercise Biology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, P.R. China
| | - Weihong Zhang
- 1 School of Nursing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Qingxia Zhao
- 1 School of Nursing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Changying Chen
- 1 School of Nursing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Pei-Zhuo Zhang
- 7 Suzhou GenePharma, Suzhou, P.R. China.,8 GenePharma-Deakin Joint Laboratory of Aptamer Medicine, Suzhou, P.R. China and Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Wei Duan
- 2 School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia.,8 GenePharma-Deakin Joint Laboratory of Aptamer Medicine, Suzhou, P.R. China and Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
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36
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Hao M, Qiao J, Qi H. Current and Emerging Methods for the Synthesis of Single-Stranded DNA. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E116. [PMID: 31973021 PMCID: PMC7073533 DOI: 10.3390/genes11020116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Methods for synthesizing arbitrary single-strand DNA (ssDNA) fragments are rapidly becoming fundamental tools for gene editing, DNA origami, DNA storage, and other applications. To meet the rising application requirements, numerous methods have been developed to produce ssDNA. Some approaches allow the synthesis of freely chosen user-defined ssDNA sequences to overcome the restrictions and limitations of different length, purity, and yield. In this perspective, we provide an overview of the representative ssDNA production strategies and their most significant challenges to enable the readers to make informed choices of synthesis methods and enhance the availability of increasingly inexpensive synthetic ssDNA. We also aim to stimulate a broader interest in the continued development of efficient ssDNA synthesis techniques and improve their applications in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Hao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (M.H.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jianjun Qiao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (M.H.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Hao Qi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; (M.H.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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37
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Kim HR, Song MY, Chan Kim B. Rapid isolation of bacteria-specific aptamers with a non-SELEX-based method. Anal Biochem 2019; 591:113542. [PMID: 31837967 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2019.113542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Usually, isolation of bacteria-specific aptamers by SELEX is a time-consuming process due to the required repeated rounds of binding, separation, and amplification of the probes to target bacteria. Here, we show that it is possible to isolate bacteria-specific DNA aptamers omitting the repeated rounds of binding incubation, separation, and amplification that are indispensable for SELEX. The serial removal of unbound DNAs to the bacterial cells from an initial mixture of bacteria and DNA libraries through serial centrifugation, one-time separation, and further one-time amplification of DNA bound to the target bacterial cells applied in this non-SELEX-based method allows successful aptamer isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Ri Kim
- Center for Environment, Health and Welfare Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Energy and Environment Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Yong Song
- Seoul Institute of Technology, Maebongsan-ro 37, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 03909, Republic of Korea
| | - Byoung Chan Kim
- Center for Environment, Health and Welfare Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Energy and Environment Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
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38
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Redcenko O, Draberova L, Draber P. Carboxymethylcellulose enhances the production of single-stranded DNA aptamers generated by asymmetric PCR. Anal Biochem 2019; 589:113502. [PMID: 31704088 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2019.113502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid aptamers are single-stranded (ss)DNA or RNA oligonucleotides that can take various conformations and bind specifically and with high affinity to selected targets. While the introduction of SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) revolutionized the production of the aptamers, this procedure is impeded by the formation of undesirable by-products reflecting hybridization among complementary oligonucleotides in the ssDNA libraries during asymmetric PCR. To reduce nonspecific amplification we tested cellulose-derived compounds and found that sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) at a concentration 0.05%-0.2% efficiently suppressed production of undesirable large DNA amplicons during asymmetric PCR in the course of SELEX. Formation of the PCR by-products was reduced by CMCs of low and medium viscosity more than by CMCs of high viscosity, and all of them bound to DNA oligonucleotides as determined by electrophoresis in agarose gels. In contrast to CMC, methylcellulose did not reduce the formation of the PCR by-products and did not bind to DNA. DNA aptamers selected in the presence of CMC could be used directly in enzyme-linked immunosorbent-like assay. The combined data suggest that CMC binds weekly to DNA oligonucleotides through hydroxyl groups and in this way inhibits low-affinity DNA-DNA hybridization and enhances the production of specific amplicons in asymmetric PCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleksij Redcenko
- Department of Signal Transduction, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ 14220, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lubica Draberova
- Department of Signal Transduction, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ 14220, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Draber
- Department of Signal Transduction, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ 14220, Prague, Czech Republic.
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39
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Komarova N, Kuznetsov A. Inside the Black Box: What Makes SELEX Better? Molecules 2019; 24:E3598. [PMID: 31591283 PMCID: PMC6804172 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24193598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aptamers are small oligonucleotides that are capable of binding specifically to a target, with impressive potential for analysis, diagnostics, and therapeutics applications. Aptamers are isolated from large nucleic acid combinatorial libraries using an iterative selection process called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment). Since being implemented 30 years ago, the SELEX protocol has undergone many modifications and improvements, but it remains a laborious, time-consuming, and costly method, and the results are not always successful. Each step in the aptamer selection protocol can influence its results. This review discusses key technical points of the SELEX procedure and their influence on the outcome of aptamer selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Komarova
- Scientific-Manufacturing Complex Technological Centre, 1-7 Shokin Square, Zelenograd, Moscow 124498, Russia.
| | - Alexander Kuznetsov
- Scientific-Manufacturing Complex Technological Centre, 1-7 Shokin Square, Zelenograd, Moscow 124498, Russia.
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40
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Lapa SA, Pavlov AS, Kuznetsova VE, Shershov VE, Spitsyn MA, Guseinov TO, Radko SP, Zasedatelev AS, Lisitsa AV, Chudinov AV. Enzymatic Preparation of Modified DNA: Study of the Kinetics by Real-Time PCR. Mol Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893319030099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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41
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Breuers S, Bryant LL, Legen T, Mayer G. Robotic assisted generation of 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-modifed RNA aptamers - High performance enabling strategies in aptamer selection. Methods 2019; 161:3-9. [PMID: 31152781 PMCID: PMC6599171 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aptamer selection is a laborious procedure, requiring expertise and significant resources. These characteristics limit the accessibility of researchers to these molecular tools. We describe a selection procedure, making use of a robotic system that allows the fully automated selection of RNA and 2'deoxy-2'-fluoro pyrimidine RNA aptamers. The platform offers a rapid access to aptamers for basic research and development, therefore opening the path to aptamer-based systemic analysis of proteomes in biological settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Breuers
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany; Center of Aptamer Research & Development, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Laura Lledo Bryant
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Tjasa Legen
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany; Center of Aptamer Research & Development, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Günter Mayer
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany; Center of Aptamer Research & Development, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Str. 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany.
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42
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Kushwaha A, Takamura Y, Nishigaki K, Biyani M. Competitive non-SELEX for the selective and rapid enrichment of DNA aptamers and its use in electrochemical aptasensor. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6642. [PMID: 31040350 PMCID: PMC6491428 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43187-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) method has been used successfully since 1990, but work is still required to obtain highly specific aptamers. Here, we present a novel approach called ‘Competitive non-SELEX’ (and termed as ‘SELCOS’ (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by COmpetitive Selection)) for readily obtaining aptamers that can discriminate between highly similar targets. This approach is based on the theoretical background presented here, in which under the co-presence of two similar targets, a specific binding type can be enriched more than a nonspecifically binding one during repetitive steps of partitioning with no PCR amplification between them. This principle was experimentally confirmed by the selection experiment for influenza virus subtype-specific DNA aptamers. Namely, the selection products (pools of DNA aptamers) obtained by SELCOS were subjected to a DEPSOR-mode electrochemical sensor, enabling the method to select subtype-specific aptamer pools. From the clonal analysis of these pools, only a few rounds of in vitro selection were sufficient to achieve the surprisingly rapid enrichment of a small number of aptamers with high selectivity, which could be attributed to the SELCOS principle and the given selection pressure program. The subtype-specific aptamers obtained in this manner had a high affinity (e.g., KD = 82 pM for H1N1; 88 pM for H3N2) and negligible cross-reactivity. By making the H1N1-specific DNA aptamer a sensor unit of the DEPSOR electrochemical detector, an influenza virus subtype-specific and portable detector was readily constructed, indicating how close it is to the field application goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Kushwaha
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi City, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Yuzuru Takamura
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi City, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Koichi Nishigaki
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi City, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan.,BioSeeds Corporation, JAIST venture business laboraotry, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi City, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Manish Biyani
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi City, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan. .,BioSeeds Corporation, JAIST venture business laboraotry, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi City, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan.
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43
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Liu WT, Lee WB, Tsai YC, Chuang YJ, Hsu KF, Lee GB. An automated microfluidic system for selection of aptamer probes against ovarian cancer tissues. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2019; 13:014114. [PMID: 30867884 PMCID: PMC6404914 DOI: 10.1063/1.5085133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Because of the difficulty of treatment in its latest stages, cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Therefore, high-affinity and specificity biomarkers are still in demand for many cancer types, and the utility of aptamers to serve in this regard has been explored recently. Although a process known as "systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment" (SELEX) has been used to generate aptamer-based cancer biomarkers, this approach is complicated, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. An automated microfluidic system was consequently developed herein to screen ovarian cancer-specific aptamers via on-chip SELEX with clinical cancer tissue samples. The integrated microfluidic system consisted of an integrated microfluidic chip, a temperature control module equipped with 12 thermoelectric coolers, and a flow control module for controlling 36 electromagnetic valves such that the entire, tissue-based SELEX process could be fully automated and carried out within 15 h. Highly specific ovarian cancer aptamers with high affinity (dissociation constant of 129 nM) to their cellular targets were screened with this system. Given the comparable specificity to their much more expensive antibody counterparts, these aptamers, when used in conjunction with the developed microfluidic system, may be used to diagnose ovarian cancer in its earliest stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ting Liu
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Bin Lee
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Cheng Tsai
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Jhe Chuang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, Tainan 70403, Taiwan
| | - Keng-Fu Hsu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, Tainan 70403, Taiwan
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44
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Wang T, Chen C, Larcher LM, Barrero RA, Veedu RN. Three decades of nucleic acid aptamer technologies: Lessons learned, progress and opportunities on aptamer development. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 37:28-50. [PMID: 30408510 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Aptamers are short single-stranded nucleic acid sequences capable of binding to target molecules in a way similar to antibodies. Due to various advantages such as prolonged shelf life, low batch to batch variation, low/no immunogenicity, freedom to incorporate chemical modification for enhanced stability and targeting capacity, aptamers quickly found their potential in diverse applications ranging from therapy, drug delivery, diagnosis, and functional genomics to bio-sensing. Aptamers are generated by a process called SELEX. However, the current overall success rate of SELEX is far from being satisfactory, and still presents a major obstacle for aptamer-based research and application. The need for an efficient selection strategy consisting of defined procedures to deal with a wide variety of targets is significantly important. In this work, by analyzing key aspects of SELEX including initial library design, target preparation, PCR optimization, and single strand DNA separation, we provide a comprehensive analysis of individual steps to facilitate researchers intending to develop personalized protocols to address many of the obstacles in SELEX. In addition, this review provides suggestions and opinions for future aptamer development procedures to address the concerns on key SELEX steps, and post-SELEX modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth 6009, Australia; School of Nursing, Zhengzhou University & Nursing Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zheng Zhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Changying Chen
- School of Nursing, Zhengzhou University & Nursing Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zheng Zhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Leon M Larcher
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
| | - Roberto A Barrero
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
| | - Rakesh N Veedu
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth 6009, Australia.
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45
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Wang L, Wang R, Wei H, Li Y. Selection of aptamers against pathogenic bacteria and their diagnostics application. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 34:149. [PMID: 30220026 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-018-2528-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Aptamers are short nucleotide sequences which can specifically bind to a variety of targets with high affinity. They are identified and selected via systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Compared to antibodies, aptamers offer several advantages including easy labeling, high stability and lower cost. Those advantages make it possible to be a potential for use as a recognition probe to replace antibody in the diagnostic field. This article is intended to provide a comprehensive review, which is focused on systemizing recent advancements concerning SELEX procedures, with special emphasis on the key steps in SELEX procedures. The principles of various aptamer-based detections of pathogenic bacteria and their application are discussed in detail, including colorimetric detection, fluorescence detection, electrochemical detection, lateral flow strip test, mass sensitive detection and PCR-based aptasensor. By discussing recent research and future trends based on many excellent publications and reviews, we attempt to give the readers a comprehensive view in the field of aptamer selection against pathogenic bacteria and their diagnostics application. Authors hope that this review will promote lively and valuable discussions in order to generate new ideas and approaches towards the development of aptamer-based methods for application in pathogenic bacteria diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Wang
- School of Food and Bioengineering, Xihua University, Chengdu, 610039, China.,Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Ronghui Wang
- Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Hua Wei
- Jiangxi-OAI Joint Research Institute, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330047, China
| | - Yanbin Li
- Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA. .,Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, 203 Engineering Hall, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
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46
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Sinha A, Gopinathan P, Chung YD, Lin HY, Li KH, Ma HP, Huang PC, Shiesh SC, Lee GB. An integrated microfluidic platform to perform uninterrupted SELEX cycles to screen affinity reagents specific to cardiovascular biomarkers. Biosens Bioelectron 2018; 122:104-112. [PMID: 30245322 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2018.09.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
As cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for millions of deaths annually, there is a need for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of CVD at earlier stages. Aptamers generated by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) processes have been shown to be superior to conventional antibody-based cardiac biomarker detection. However, SELEX is a complicated, lengthy procedure requiring multiple rounds of extraction/amplification and well-trained personnel. To circumvent such issue, we designed an automated, miniaturized SELEX platform for the screening of aptamers towards three protein biomarkers associated with CVDs: N-terminal pro-peptide of B-type natriuretic peptide, human cardiac troponin I, and fibrinogen. The developed microfluidic platform was equipped with microfluidic devices capable of sample transport and mixing along with an on-chip nucleic acid amplification module such that the entire screening process (5 rounds of selection in 8 h.) could be performed consecutively on a single chip while consuming only 35 µL of reagents in each cycle. This system may therefore serve as a promising, sensitive, cost-effective platform for the selection of aptamers specific for CVD biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Sinha
- Institute of Nanoengineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Priya Gopinathan
- Institute of Nanoengineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Da Chung
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Ying Lin
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Kuang-Hsien Li
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Hsi-Pin Ma
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Po-Chiun Huang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Chu Shiesh
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Gwo-Bin Lee
- Institute of Nanoengineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
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47
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Svigelj R, Dossi N, Toniolo R, Miranda-Castro R, de-Los-Santos-Álvarez N, Lobo-Castañón MJ. Selection of Anti-gluten DNA Aptamers in a Deep Eutectic Solvent. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:12850-12854. [PMID: 30070419 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201804860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Herein, we show the feasibility of using deep eutectic solvents as a faster way of selecting aptamers targeting poorly water-soluble species. This unexplored concept is illustrated for gluten proteins. In this way, aptamer-based gluten detection can be performed directly in the extraction media with improved detectability. We envision deep implications for applications not only in food safety control but also in biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Svigelj
- Department of Agrifood, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via Cotonificio 108, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - Nicolò Dossi
- Department of Agrifood, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via Cotonificio 108, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - Rosanna Toniolo
- Department of Agrifood, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via Cotonificio 108, 33100, Udine, Italy
| | - Rebeca Miranda-Castro
- Departamento de Química Física y Analítica, Universidad de Oviedo, Julián Clavería 8., 33006, Oviedo, Spain
| | | | - M Jesús Lobo-Castañón
- Departamento de Química Física y Analítica, Universidad de Oviedo, Julián Clavería 8., 33006, Oviedo, Spain
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48
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Svigelj R, Dossi N, Toniolo R, Miranda-Castro R, de-los-Santos-Álvarez N, Lobo-Castañón MJ. Selection of Anti-gluten DNA Aptamers in a Deep Eutectic Solvent. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201804860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Svigelj
- Department of Agrifood; Environmental and Animal Sciences; University of Udine; via Cotonificio 108 33100 Udine Italy
| | - Nicolò Dossi
- Department of Agrifood; Environmental and Animal Sciences; University of Udine; via Cotonificio 108 33100 Udine Italy
| | - Rosanna Toniolo
- Department of Agrifood; Environmental and Animal Sciences; University of Udine; via Cotonificio 108 33100 Udine Italy
| | - Rebeca Miranda-Castro
- Departamento de Química Física y Analítica; Universidad de Oviedo; Julián Clavería 8. 33006 Oviedo Spain
| | | | - M. Jesús Lobo-Castañón
- Departamento de Química Física y Analítica; Universidad de Oviedo; Julián Clavería 8. 33006 Oviedo Spain
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49
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Taylor AI, Holliger P. Selecting Fully-Modified XNA Aptamers Using Synthetic Genetics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 10:e44. [PMID: 29927117 DOI: 10.1002/cpch.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This unit describes the application of "synthetic genetics," i.e., the replication of xeno nucleic acids (XNAs), artificial analogs of DNA and RNA bearing alternative backbone or sugar congeners, to the directed evolution of synthetic oligonucleotide ligands (XNA aptamers) specific for target proteins or nucleic acid motifs, using a cross-chemistry selective exponential enrichment (X-SELEX) approach. Protocols are described for synthesis of diverse-sequence XNA repertoires (typically 1014 molecules) using DNA templates, isolation and panning for functional XNA sequences using targets immobilized on solid phase or gel shift induced by target binding in solution, and XNA reverse transcription to allow cDNA amplification or sequencing. The method may be generally applied to select fully-modified XNA aptamers specific for a wide range of target molecules. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Taylor
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Philipp Holliger
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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50
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Identification and characterization of nucleobase-modified aptamers by click-SELEX. Nat Protoc 2018; 13:1153-1180. [PMID: 29700486 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2018.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that are in vitro-selected to recognize their target molecule with high affinity and specificity. As they consist of the four canonical nucleobases, their chemical diversity is limited, which in turn limits the addressable target spectrum. Introducing chemical modifications into nucleic acid libraries increases the interaction capabilities of the DNA and thereby the target spectrum. Here, we describe a protocol to select nucleobase-modified aptamers by using click chemistry (CuAAC) to introduce the preferred chemical modification. The use of click chemistry to modify the DNA library enables the introduction of a wide range of possible functionalities, which can be customized to the requirements of the target molecule and the desired application. This protocol yields modified DNA aptamers with extended interaction properties that are not accessible with the canonical set of nucleotides. After synthesis of the starting library containing a commercially available, alkyne-modified uridine (5-ethynyl-deoxyuridine (EdU)) instead of thymidine, the library is functionalized with the modification of choice by CuAAC. The thus-modified DNA is incubated with the target molecule and the best binding sequences are recovered. The chemical modification is removed during the amplification process. Therefore, this protocol is compatible with conventional amplification procedures and avoids enzymatic incompatibility problems associated with more extensive nucleobase modifications. After single-strand generation, the modification is reintroduced into the enriched library, which can then be subjected to the subsequent selection cycle. The duration of each selection cycle as outlined in the protocol is ∼1 d.
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