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

[1] A. D. Ellington, J. W. Szostak, In vitro selection of RNA molecules that bind specific ligands. Nature 1990, 346, 818-822. https://doi.org/10.1038/346818a0

[2] 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-2836(91)90509-5☃☃

[3] 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. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.199704801

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