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Aptamers for DNA Damage and Repair

Maureen McKeague1

  • 1Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland. maureen.mckeague@hest.ethz.ch.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|October 26, 2017
PubMed

Insights

DNA aptamers offer stable, reliable alternatives to antibodies for studying DNA damage and repair. This review highlights their potential in cancer research and therapy, an area currently underexplored.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics

Background:

  • DNA damage is a daily occurrence, contributing to mutations, cancer, and aging.
  • Understanding DNA repair mechanisms is crucial for cancer therapies.
  • Current research relies heavily on antibody-based assays for DNA integrity studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the selection and application of aptamers in DNA damage and repair research.
  • To highlight aptamers as promising tools for studying DNA integrity.
  • To explore the potential of aptamers in DNA repair studies and therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Aptamer selection through in vitro evolution (SELEX).
  • Characterization of aptamer binding to DNA damage sites.
  • Review of existing literature on aptamer applications in DNA research.

Main Results:

  • Aptamers demonstrate high specificity and affinity for DNA targets.
  • Aptamers offer advantages like chemical stability and low batch variability.
  • The application of aptamers in DNA damage and repair is an emerging field.

Conclusions:

  • Aptamers are powerful tools for investigating DNA damage and repair mechanisms.
  • Further development of aptamers could significantly advance cancer research and therapy.
  • The unique properties of aptamers make them ideal for diverse biological applications.
Keywords:
DNA damageDNA repairSELEXaptamerin vitro selectionmutationtherapeutics

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