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New Receptor Molecules: Design, Obtaining and Analytical Use

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2022) | Viewed by 13947

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Interests: immunoassay; monoclonal antibodies; food-related risks; QSAR analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of biomolecules as receptors in analytical systems provides the possibility for simple and selective detection of target ligands. Many kits and sensors have been developed with the use of antibodies, aptamers, and other classes of receptor molecules. However, traditional techniques to obtain receptors, such as immunization for antibodies and SELEX for aptamers, have fundamental features that limit their applications for the obtained receptor molecules. Selected in vivo or in vitro receptors often have low binding constants or show cross-reactivity towards several structurally related compounds. To overcome these limitations, in recent years, various approaches have been actively proposed. They are based on the design of target molecules for selection, changes in the methods for obtaining receptors, the use of new combinatorial libraries, theoretical modeling of ligand–receptor complexes. However, these methods have not yet been implemented in mass practice; their capabilities and limitations are evaluated on a few examples that are insufficient to choose the most effective approaches.

The proposed Special Issue is focused on new developments in this direction. Methods for predicting the properties of receptor molecules (their affinity, selectivity, stability under different conditions) and directed production of improved compounds will be the subject of this issue. It is also extremely important to assess the capabilities of new receptor molecules and to improve with their help the characteristics of analytical kits, sensors, and devices used in medical and veterinary diagnostics, environmental monitoring, quality, and safety control of foods and other consumer products.

Dr. Anatoly V Zherdev
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2342 KiB  
Article
Towards Quantitative and Standardized Serological and Neutralization Assays for COVID-19
by Linhua Tian, Elzafir B. Elsheikh, Paul N. Patrone, Anthony J. Kearsley, Adolfas K. Gaigalas, Sarah Inwood, Sheng Lin-Gibson, Dominic Esposito and Lili Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(5), 2723; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052723 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2870
Abstract
Quantitative and robust serology assays are critical measurements underpinning global COVID-19 response to diagnostic, surveillance, and vaccine development. Here, we report a proof-of-concept approach for the development of quantitative, multiplexed flow cytometry-based serological and neutralization assays. The serology assays test the IgG and [...] Read more.
Quantitative and robust serology assays are critical measurements underpinning global COVID-19 response to diagnostic, surveillance, and vaccine development. Here, we report a proof-of-concept approach for the development of quantitative, multiplexed flow cytometry-based serological and neutralization assays. The serology assays test the IgG and IgM against both the full-length spike antigens and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike antigen. Benchmarking against an RBD-specific SARS-CoV IgG reference standard, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD antibody titer was quantified in the range of 37.6 µg/mL to 31.0 ng/mL. The quantitative assays are highly specific with no correlative cross-reactivity with the spike proteins of MERS, SARS1, OC43 and HKU1 viruses. We further demonstrated good correlation between anti-RBD antibody titers and neutralizing antibody titers. The suite of serology and neutralization assays help to improve measurement confidence and are complementary and foundational for clinical and epidemiologic studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Receptor Molecules: Design, Obtaining and Analytical Use)
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Review

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25 pages, 1130 KiB  
Review
Methods and Applications of In Silico Aptamer Design and Modeling
by Andrey A. Buglak, Alexey V. Samokhvalov, Anatoly V. Zherdev and Boris B. Dzantiev
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(22), 8420; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21228420 - 10 Nov 2020
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 10501
Abstract
Aptamers are nucleic acid analogues of antibodies with high affinity to different targets, such as cells, viruses, proteins, inorganic materials, and coenzymes. Empirical approaches allow the design of in vitro aptamers that bind particularly to a target molecule with high affinity and selectivity. [...] Read more.
Aptamers are nucleic acid analogues of antibodies with high affinity to different targets, such as cells, viruses, proteins, inorganic materials, and coenzymes. Empirical approaches allow the design of in vitro aptamers that bind particularly to a target molecule with high affinity and selectivity. Theoretical methods allow significant expansion of the possibilities of aptamer design. In this study, we review theoretical and joint theoretical-experimental studies dedicated to aptamer design and modeling. We consider aptamers with different targets, such as proteins, antibiotics, organophosphates, nucleobases, amino acids, and drugs. During nucleic acid modeling and in silico design, a full set of in silico methods can be applied, such as docking, molecular dynamics (MD), and statistical analysis. The typical modeling workflow starts with structure prediction. Then, docking of target and aptamer is performed. Next, MD simulations are performed, which allows for an evaluation of the stability of aptamer/ligand complexes and determination of the binding energies with higher accuracy. Then, aptamer/ligand interactions are analyzed, and mutations of studied aptamers made. Subsequently, the whole procedure of molecular modeling can be reiterated. Thus, the interactions between aptamers and their ligands are complex and difficult to understand using only experimental approaches. Docking and MD are irreplaceable when aptamers are studied in silico. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Receptor Molecules: Design, Obtaining and Analytical Use)
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