title: Modulating the Substrate Selectivity of DNA Aptamers Using Surfactants.
abstract: Nucleic acid aptamers have a number of advantages compared to antibodies, including greater ease of production and increased thermal stability. We hypothesized that aptamers may also be capable of functioning in the presence of high concentrations of surfactants, which readily denature antibodies and other protein-based affinity reagents. Here we report the first systematic investigation into the compatibility of DNA aptamers with surfactants. We find that neutral and anionic surfactants have only a minor impact on the ability of aptamers to fold and bind hydrophilic target molecules. Additionally, we demonstrate that surfactants can be utilized to modulate the substrate binding preferences of aptamers, likely due to the sequestration of hydrophobic target molecules within micelles. The compatibility of aptamers with commonly used surfactants is anticipated to expand their scope of potential applications, and the ability to modulate the substrate binding preferences of aptamers using a simple additive provides a novel route to increasing their selectivity in analytical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.
authors.forename: Amberlyn M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Sonata Biosciences, Inc., Auburn, California 95603, United States.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Jahnke
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and the Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Heemstra
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D013501:Surface-Active Agents