Selection and characterization of a DNA aptamer that can discriminate between cJun/cJun and cJun/cFos

The AP-1 family of transcriptional activators plays pivotal roles in regulating a wide range of biological processes from the immune response to tumorigenesis. Determining the roles of specific AP-1 dimers in cells, however, has remained challenging because common molecular biology techniques are unable to distinguish between the role of, for example, cJun/cJun homodimers versus cJun/cFos heterodimers. Here we used SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) to identify and characterize DNA aptamers that are >100-fold more specific for binding cJun/cJun compared to cJun/cFos, setting the foundation to investigate the biological functions of different AP-1 dimer compositions.