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In Vitro Selection of Aptamers to Differentiate Infectious from Non-Infectious Viruses
Published on: September 7, 2022
Aptamers in the virologists' toolkit
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX2 3RE, UK.
The Journal of General Virology
|January 26, 2007
Summary
Artificial nucleic acid ligands called aptamers offer new tools for virologists. These molecules can be used to study virus replication, develop diagnostic biosensors, and create antiviral agents, complementing existing methods like monoclonal antibodies.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
Background:
- Aptamers are synthetic nucleic acid ligands.
- They are generated in vitro against diverse molecules, including viral gene products.
- Aptamer technology offers an alternative to traditional methods like monoclonal antibodies in virology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress of aptamer applications in virology.
- To highlight the potential of aptamers as tools for analyzing viral molecular biology.
- To discuss aptamer-based diagnostic biosensors and antiviral agent development.
Main Methods:
- Aptamers are generated through an iterative, cell-free SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) process.
- This process involves library complexity reduction via selective partitioning and reamplification.
- The review synthesizes recent research on aptamer applications in virology.
Main Results:
- Aptamers demonstrate potential as analytical tools in studying virus replication.
- They show promise in the development of sensitive diagnostic biosensors for viral detection.
- Aptamers are being explored as novel antiviral agents.
Conclusions:
- Aptamers represent a versatile platform with significant potential in virology.
- Continued research is advancing their use in diagnostics and therapeutics.
- Aptamers are emerging as valuable complements to existing virological tools.
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