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Updated: May 28, 2026

Mapping the Binding Site of an Aptamer on ATP Using MicroScale Thermophoresis
Published on: January 7, 2017
Label-free solution-based kinetic study of aptamer-small molecule interactions by kinetic capillary electrophoresis
Abstract:
Here we demonstrate a label-free solution-based approach for studying the kinetics of biopolymer-small molecule interactions. The approach utilizes kinetic capillary electrophoresis (KCE) separation and UV light absorption detection of the unlabeled small molecule. In this proof-of-concept work, we applied KCE-UV to study kinetics of interaction between a small molecule and a DNA aptamer. From the kinetic analysis of a series of aptamers, we found that dissociation rather than binding controls the stability of the complex. Because of its label-free features and generic nature, KCE-UV promises to become a practical tool for challenging kinetic studies of biopolymer-small molecule interactions.
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