Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(12), 9155-9171; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12129155
RNA Aptamer Evolution: Two Decades of SELEction
1
Unit of Research on Oncological Disease, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
2
Regenerative Medicine Laboratory. Research Direction, Mexico’s Juarez Hospital, Mexico City 07760, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 24 October 2011 / Revised: 24 November 2011 / Accepted: 28 November 2011 / Published: 8 December 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Coding RNAs)
Abstract
Aptamers are small non-coding RNAs capable of recognizing, with high specificity and affinity, a wide variety of molecules in a manner that resembles antibodies. This class of nucleic acids is the resulting product of applying a well-established screening method known as SELEX. First developed in 1990, the SELEX process has become a powerful tool to select structured oligonucleotides for the recognition of targets, starting with small molecules, going through protein complexes until whole cells. SELEX has also evolved along with new technologies positioning itself as an alternative in the design of a new class of therapeutic agents in modern molecular medicine. This review is an historical follow-up of SELEX method over the two decades since its first appearance. View Full-TextKeywords:
non-coding RNAs; aptamers; SELEX; in vitro selection; in vitro evolution
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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Aquino-Jarquin, G.; Toscano-Garibay, J.D. RNA Aptamer Evolution: Two Decades of SELEction. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12, 9155-9171.
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