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Entropic Fragment‐Based Approach to Aptamer Design
Author(s) -
Tseng ChihYuan,
Ashrafuzzaman Md,
Mane Jonathan Y.,
Kapty Janice,
Mercer John R.,
Tuszynski Jack A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
chemical biology and drug design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1747-0285
pISSN - 1747-0277
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-0285.2011.01125.x
Subject(s) - aptamer , systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment , computational biology , dna , rna , template , binding affinities , exponential growth , molecular recognition , biology , chemistry , combinatorial chemistry , nanotechnology , computer science , biochemistry , genetics , gene , materials science , mathematics , molecule , mathematical analysis , receptor , organic chemistry
Aptamers are short RNA/DNA sequences that are identified through the process of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment and that bind to diverse biomolecular targets. Aptamers have strong and specific binding through molecular recognition and are promising tools in studying molecular biology. They are recognized as having potential therapeutic and diagnostic clinical applications. The success of the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment process requires that the RNA/DNA pools used in the process have a sufficient level of sequence diversity and structural complexity. While the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment technology is well developed, it remains a challenge in the efficient identification of correct aptamers. In this article, we propose a novel information‐driven approach to a theoretical design of aptamer templates based solely on the knowledge regarding the biomolecular target structures. We have investigated both theoretically and experimentally the applicability of the proposed approach by considering two specific targets: the serum protein thrombin and the cell membrane phospholipid phosphatidylserine. Both of these case studies support our method and indicate a promising advancement in theoretical aptamer design. In unfavorable cases where the designed sequences show weak binding affinity, these template sequences can be still modified to enhance their affinities without going through the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment process.