title: In vitro selection of Leishmania infantum H3-binding ssDNA aptamers.
abstract: Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides that adopt specific three-dimensional structures binding with high affinity and specificity to their targets. These molecules are being currently used with detection and diagnosis purposes. Parasites of the genus Leishmania cause leishmaniosis in humans and animals. Interestingly, Leishmania do not condense their chromatin during mitosis, and histone genes could be responsible for this fact. Although histones are extremely conserved proteins, reflecting their apparent universality of function, sequence similarity of kinetoplastid core histones with that of higher eukaryotes is found predominantly in the globular region. However, high sequence divergences in the N-terminal and C-terminal domains are found that convert them into potential diagnostic and/or therapeutics targets. We have successfully isolated a pool of DNA aptamers, named SELH3, which binds to Leishmania infantum H3 with high affinity and specificity. Thus, it appears that this novel anti-H3 aptamer population may be of potential application as a diagnostic system for leishmaniosis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica-Investigación, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Edurne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: M Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Víctor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000235:genetics*; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000235:genetics*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D006657:Histones; D015800:Protozoan Proteins