Acidic in vitro selection of metal-specific deoxyribozymes.

ABSTRACT: Deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) are in vitro selected catalytic DNA molecules that recruit metal ions to function. However, nearly all previous DNAzymes generated through conventional selection methods exhibit poor metal selectivity. Here, we report an acidic in vitro selection strategy for isolating truly metal-specific DNAzymes. By using Ca²⁺ as the target in positive selection and a mixture of competing metal ions in counter-selection, and conducting the selections under acidic conditions to suppress metal hydrolysis, we have successfully selected an acidic RNA-cleaving DNAzyme, termed aRCD-Ca2, which is only activated by Ca²⁺ and shows no response to all other tested metal ions, including monovalent ions and chemically similar competing divalent ions (Mg

SUBMITTER: Jia P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12833610 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature