Rapid and Label-Free Strategy to Isolate Aptamers for Metal Ions.

ABSTRACT: Generating aptamers that bind to specific metal ions is challenging because existing aptamer discovery methods typically require chemical labels or modifications that can alter the structure and properties of the ions. In this work, we report an aptamer discovery method that enables us to generate high-quality structure-switching aptamers (SSAs) that undergo a conformational change upon binding a metal ion target, without the requirement of labels or chemical modifications. Our method is more efficient than conventional selection methods because it enables direct measurement of target binding via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), isolating only the desired aptamers with the highest affinity. Using this strategy, we obtained a highly specific DNA SSA with ∼30-fold higher affinity

SUBMITTER: Qu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5653223 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature