Targeting a conserved structural element from the SARS-CoV-2 genome using l-DNA aptamers.

ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, has resulted in an ongoing global pandemic that has already claimed more than 4 million lives. While most antiviral efforts have focused on essential SARS-CoV-2 proteins, RNA structural elements within the viral genome are also compelling targets. In this study, we identified high-affinity l-DNA aptamers against a SARS-CoV-2 stem-loop II-like motif (s2m), a highly conserved RNA structure with promising diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Optimized l-C1t and l-C3t aptamers bind selectively to s2m RNA with K _d values in the nanomolar range, and are capable of differentiating the monomeric s2m stem-loop from the proposed homodimer duplex. This structure-specific mode of recognitio

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8729173 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature