Thrombin-aptamer recognition: a revealed ambiguity.

ABSTRACT: Aptamers are structured oligonucleotides that recognize molecular targets and can function as direct protein inhibitors. The best-known example is the thrombin-binding aptamer, TBA, a single-stranded 15-mer DNA that inhibits the activity of thrombin, the key enzyme of coagulation cascade. TBA folds as a G-quadruplex structure, as proved by its NMR structure. The X-ray structure of the complex between TBA and human α-thrombin was solved at 2.9-Å resolution, but did not provide details of the aptamer conformation and the interactions with the protein molecule. TBA is rapidly processed by nucleases. To improve the properties of TBA, a number of modified analogs have been produced. In particular, a modified TBA containing a 5'-5' polarity inversion site, mTBA, has higher stability and higher a

SUBMITTER: Russo Krauss I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3177225 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature