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Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers
Published on: August 20, 2014
Aptamers and riboswitches: perspectives in biotechnology
Julia E Weigand1, Beatrix Suess
1Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften, Aventis Foundation Endowed Professorship, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Abstract:
Aptamers are short, single stranded nucleic acids which bind a wide range of different ligands with extraordinary high binding affinity and specificity. The steadily increasing number of aptamers is accompanied by an expanding range of applications in biotechnology. We will describe new developments in the field including the use of aptamers for conditional gene regulation and as biosensors. In addition, we will discuss the potential of aptamers as tags to visualize RNA and protein distribution in living cells and as therapeutics. Furthermore, we will consider biotechnological applications of riboswitches for gene regulation and as drug target.
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