Prediction of shorter oligonucleotide sequences recognizing aflatoxin M1

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a milk contaminant from aflatoxin B1-exposed animals.
• Aptamers are emerging as sensitive detection molecules for various analytes.
• Shorter aptamers offer advantages in assay development and application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of truncated aptamers for Aflatoxin M1 recognition.
• To compare the performance of truncated aptamers against their full-length counterparts.
• To identify potential binding regions within truncated aptamers for AFM1.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and design of truncated aptamers (18-42 nucleotides) from a 72-nucleotide aptamer.
• Detection of AFM1 using aptamer-conjugated gold nanoparticles and colorimetric analysis.
• Sequence alignment of truncated aptamers with a known AFM1 aptamer to predict binding sites.

Main Results:

• Both untruncated and truncated aptamers demonstrated recognition of AFM1.
• Sequence analysis revealed homology between truncated aptamers and the reported AFM1 aptamer's binding region.
• Specific truncated aptamers (APM15Tr, AFAS3Tr, AFAM7Tr, APM6Tr, AFA4Tr) showed strong potential for AFM1 binding.

Conclusions:

• Truncated aptamers are effective for recognizing AFM1.
• Predicted binding regions in truncated aptamers warrant further investigation.
• These shorter aptamers hold promise for developing sensitive and efficient AFM1 detection assays.