title: Morph-X-Select: Morphology-based tissue aptamer selection for ovarian cancer biomarker discovery.
abstract: High affinity aptamer-based biomarker discovery has the advantage of simultaneously discovering an aptamer affinity reagent and its target biomarker protein. Here, we demonstrate a morphology-based tissue aptamer selection method that enables us to use tissue sections from individual patients and identify high-affinity aptamers and their associated target proteins in a systematic and accurate way. We created a combinatorial DNA aptamer library that has been modified with thiophosphate substitutions of the phosphate ester backbone at selected 5´dA positions for enhanced nuclease resistance and targeting. Based on morphological assessment, we used image-directed laser microdissection (LMD) to dissect regions of interest bound with the thioaptamer (TA) library and further identified target proteins for the selected TAs. We have successfully identified and characterized the lead candidate TA, V5, as a vimentin-specific sequence that has shown specific binding to tumor vasculature of human ovarian tissue and human microvascular endothelial cells. This new Morph-X-Select method allows us to select high-affinity aptamers and their associated target proteins in a specific and accurate way, and could be used for personalized biomarker discovery to improve medical decision-making and to facilitate the development of targeted therapies to achieve more favorable outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.|Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering.
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.|Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Volk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.
authors.forename: Ganesh L-R
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Lokesh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.
authors.forename: Miguel-Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elizondo-Riojas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Departments of Gynecologic Oncology.
authors.forename: Alpa M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nick
authors.affiliation: Departments of Gynecologic Oncology.|Center for RNA Interference and Non-Coding RNA, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Anil K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sood
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.|Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Rosenblatt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine.|Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Gorenstein
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D061346:Laser Capture Microdissection; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: laser microdissection; morphology-based tissue aptamer selection; ovarian cancer; targeted protein; thioaptamer