Chemical Biology of Aptamers

Taking a strand: Aptamers are small single-stranded oligonucleotides that fold into a well-defined 3D structure and interact with high affinity and specificity with their target molecules, thereby inhibiting their biological functions. Aptamers can be synthesized by either chemical and/or enzymatic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie (International ed.) 2009-03, Vol.48 (15), p.2672-2689
Main Author: Mayer, Günter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aptamers
Aptamers, Nucleotide - chemical synthesis
Aptamers, Nucleotide - chemistry
chemical biology
Drug Carriers
Drug Discovery
Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry
inhibitors
oligonucleotides
Oligonucleotides - chemistry
Pharmaceutical Preparations - chemistry
RNA Interference
SELEX Aptamer Technique
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Summary:Taking a strand: Aptamers are small single-stranded oligonucleotides that fold into a well-defined 3D structure and interact with high affinity and specificity with their target molecules, thereby inhibiting their biological functions. Aptamers can be synthesized by either chemical and/or enzymatic procedures and can thus be considered as both chemical and biological substances. The current status and new developments in this area are described.Aptamers are small single-stranded nucleic acids that fold into a well-defined three-dimensional structure. They show a high affinity and specificity for their target molecules and inhibit their biological functions. Aptamers belong to the nucleic acids family and can be synthesized by chemical or enzymatic procedures, or a combination of the two. They can, therefore, be considered as both chemical and biological substances. This Review summarizes the most convenient approaches to their preparation and new developments in the field of aptamers. The application of aptamers in chemical biology is also discussed.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.200804643