title: Aptamers as Valuable Molecular Tools in Neurosciences.
abstract: Aptamers are short nucleic acids that interact with a variety of targets with high affinity and specificity. They have been shown to inhibit biological functions of cognate target proteins, and they are identifiable by anin vitroselection process, also termed SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment). Being nucleic acids, aptamers can be synthesized chemically or enzymatically. The latter renders RNA aptamers compatible with the cell's own transcription machinery and, thus, expressable inside cells. The synthesis of aptamers by chemical approaches opens up the possibility of producing aptamers on a large scale and enables a straightforward access to introduce modifications in a site-specific manner (e.g., fluorophores or photo-labile groups). These characteristics make aptamers broadly applicable (e.g., as an analytical, diagnostic, or separation tool). In thisTechSight, we provide a brief overview on aptamer technology and the potential of aptamers as valuable research tools in neurosciences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Biology, Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wolter
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Biology, Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany gmayer@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000639:trends*; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000639:trends*; D057089:Pathology, Molecular / Q000639:trends*; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide
keywords: SELEX; aptamer; oligonucleotide