title: Development of photoswitchable RNA aptamer-ligand complexes.
abstract: Photoresponsive artificial riboswitch has the potential to offer a de novo method for spatiotemporal control of gene expression in living cells. Because, even today, it is difficult to design a small molecule binding to a specific RNA sequence, generating an artificial riboswitch that possesses highly specific affinity to a ligand of interest basically depends on in vitro selection procedure where a variety of RNA-ligand complexes can be obtained in established methods. Here, we describe the protocol for in vitro aptamer selection against a photoresponsive peptide ligand containing azobenzene moiety that undergoes photoisomerization through light irradiation. Furthermore, we explain a procedure for surface plasmon resonance assay to detect photoswitchable association and dissociation of RNA-ligand complex on gold surface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Gosuke
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakatani
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D007536:Isomerism; D008024:Ligands; D008027:Light; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique / Q000379:methods; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D001391:Azo Compounds; D008024:Ligands; D010455:Peptides; C009850:azobenzene