title: High-throughput bead-based identification of structure-switching aptamer beacons.
abstract: We describe a new platform to identify structure-switching DNA beacon aptamers, which detect small molecules in a specific manner. By clonally amplifying a DNA library designed to fluoresce in response to binding events onto microbeads, aptamer beacons can be selected by stringent fluorescence-assisted sorting. We validated this method by isolating known and novel anti-steroid aptamers from two separate DNA libraries that were structurally enriched with three-way junctions. Importantly, aptamers were retrieved in only a few (three) rounds of selection by this approach and did not require further optimization, significantly streamlining the process of beacon development.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461 (USA).
authors: Simon G
authors: SG
authors: Trevino
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Levy
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D001665:Binding Sites; D019295:Computational Biology; D005453:Fluorescence; D015723:Gene Library; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique; D013256:Steroids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D013256:Steroids
keywords: DNA structures; SELEX; aptamers; emulsion PCR; molecular beacons