Aptamers

Aptamers

Aptamers are single-stranded RNA or DNA molecules that can fold and bind target structures with high affinity and a specificity comparable to that of antibodies. They are identified by selection from libraries of sequences.

Selected References

A. D. Ellington, J. W. Szostak, In vitro selection of RNA molecules that bind specific ligands. Nature 1990, 346, 818-822.

D. Irvine, C. Tuerk, L. Gold, Selexion - Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment with integrated optimization by nonlinear-analysis. J. Mol. Biol. 1991, 222, 739-761.

M. Egli, In vitro selected receptors rationalized: the first 3D structures of RNA aptamer/substrate complexes. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1997, 36, 480-482.

S. Müller (ed.), Nucleic acids from A to Z - A concise encyclopedia. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim: 2008, ISBN: 978-3-527-31211-5.