Nucleic Acid Aptamers: An Emerging Tool for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sensing

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Abstract

Detection of small molecules or proteins of living cells provides an exceptional opportunity to study genetic variations and functions, cellular behaviors, and various diseases including cancer and microbial infections. Our aim in this review is to give an overview of selected research activities related to nucleic acid-based aptamer techniques that have been reported in the past two decades. Limitations of aptamers and possible approaches to overcome these limitations are also discussed.

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Most cited references 211

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Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment: RNA ligands to bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

L Gold, C Tuerk (1990)

High-affinity nucleic acid ligands for a protein were isolated by a procedure that depends on alternate cycles of ligand selection from pools of variant sequences and amplification of the bound species. Multiple rounds exponentially enrich the population for the highest affinity species that can be clonally isolated and characterized. In particular one eight-base region of an RNA that interacts with the T4 DNA polymerase was chosen and randomized. Two different sequences were selected by this procedure from the calculated pool of 65,536 species. One is the wild-type sequence found in the bacteriophage mRNA; one is varied from wild type at four positions. The binding constants of these two RNA's to T4 DNA polymerase are equivalent. These protocols with minimal modification can yield high-affinity ligands for any protein that binds nucleic acids as part of its function; high-affinity ligands could conceivably be developed for any target molecule.

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Molecular beacons: probes that fluoresce upon hybridization.

S. Tyagi, F. R. Kramer (1996)

We have developed novel nucleic acid probes that recognize and report the presence of specific nucleic acids in homogeneous solutions. These probes undergo a spontaneous fluorogenic conformational change when they hybridize to their targets. Only perfectly complementary targets elicit this response, as hybridization does not occur when the target contains a mismatched nucleotide or a deletion. The probes are particularly suited for monitoring the synthesis of specific nucleic acids in real time. When used in nucleic acid amplification assays, gene detection is homogeneous and sensitive, and can be carried out in a sealed tube. When introduced into living cells, these probes should enable the origin, movement, and fate of specific mRNAs to be traced.

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Pegaptanib for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Evangelos Gragoudas, Anthony P Adamis, Emmett Cunningham … (2004)

Pegaptanib, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, was evaluated in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. We conducted two concurrent, prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter, dose-ranging, controlled clinical trials using broad entry criteria. Intravitreous injection into one eye per patient of pegaptanib (at a dose of 0.3 mg, 1.0 mg, or 3.0 mg) or sham injections were administered every 6 weeks over a period of 48 weeks. The primary end point was the proportion of patients who had lost fewer than 15 letters of visual acuity at 54 weeks. In the combined analysis of the primary end point (for a total of 1186 patients), efficacy was demonstrated, without a dose-response relationship, for all three doses of pegaptanib (P<0.001 for the comparison of 0.3 mg with sham injection; P<0.001 for the comparison of 1.0 mg with sham injection; and P=0.03 for the comparison of 3.0 mg with sham injection). In the group given pegaptanib at 0.3 mg, 70 percent of patients lost fewer than 15 letters of visual acuity, as compared with 55 percent among the controls (P<0.001). The risk of severe loss of visual acuity (loss of 30 letters or more) was reduced from 22 percent in the sham-injection group to 10 percent in the group receiving 0.3 mg of pegaptanib (P<0.001). More patients receiving pegaptanib (0.3 mg), as compared with sham injection, maintained their visual acuity or gained acuity (33 percent vs. 23 percent; P=0.003). As early as six weeks after beginning therapy with the study drug, and at all subsequent points, the mean visual acuity among patients receiving 0.3 mg of pegaptanib was better than in those receiving sham injections (P<0.002). Among the adverse events that occurred, endophthalmitis (in 1.3 percent of patients), traumatic injury to the lens (in 0.7 percent), and retinal detachment (in 0.6 percent) were the most serious and required vigilance. These events were associated with a severe loss of visual acuity in 0.1 percent of patients. Pegaptanib appears to be an effective therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Its long-term safety is not known. Copyright 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Yeshaiahu Fainman: Role: Academic Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Sensors (Basel)

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Sensors (Basel)

Journal ID (publisher-id): sensors

Title: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 1424-8220

Publication date (Electronic): 06 July 2015

Publication date Collection: July 2015

Volume: 15

Issue: 7

Pages: 16281-16313

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0407, USA; E-Mails: tiku@ 123456eng.ucsd.edu (T.-H.K.); luohuabox@ 123456gmail.com (H.L.); yuh054@ 123456ucsd.edu (Y.H.)

[2 ]Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0418, USA; E-Mail: tiz022@ 123456eng.ucsd.edu

[3 ]College of Basic Medicine and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China

[4 ]College of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China

[5 ]Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0412, USA; E-Mail: tmyen@ 123456eng.ucsd.edu

[6 ]Chemical Engineering Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0448, USA; E-Mail: pingwei320@ 123456gmail.com

Author notes

[* ]Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ylo@ 123456ece.ucsd.edu ; Tel.: +1-858-822-3429; Fax: +1-858-534-0556.

Article

Publisher ID: sensors-15-16281

DOI: 10.3390/s150716281

PMC ID: 4541879

PubMed ID: 26153774

SO-VID: 7375ae3f-7e7f-4d13-bd20-54b343c66081

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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Nucleic Acid Aptamers: An Emerging Tool for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sensing

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Abstract

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Journal of Disability Research

Most cited references 211

Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment: RNA ligands to bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase.

Molecular beacons: probes that fluoresce upon hybridization.

Pegaptanib for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

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