Switching the activity of Taq polymerase using clamp-like triplex aptamer structure

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Allostery is a key natural mechanism for regulating cellular processes.
• Aptamer-based nanodevices are inspired by natural allosteric regulation.
• Current nanodevices often use duplex aptamers, limiting flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new regulating strategy using a clamp-like triplex aptamer structure (CLTAS).
• To demonstrate CLTAS for switching DNA polymerase activity through conformational changes.
• To explore CLTAS for enhanced programmability and control in nanodevices.

Main Methods:

• Conformational changes in CLTAS were used to regulate DNA polymerase activity.
• Structure parameters were adjusted to control polymerase activity.
• Dynamic reactions like strand displacement and enzymatic digestion were employed.

Main Results:

• CLTAS demonstrated superior programmability, affinity, and discrimination efficiency compared to duplex aptamers.
• DNA polymerase activity was successfully switched using the CLTAS strategy.
• The CLTAS system effectively distinguished single-base mismatches.

Conclusions:

• The CLTAS strategy offers a novel approach for regulating biological processes.
• This method expands the utility of triplex aptamer structures.
• CLTAS shows significant potential for advanced biosensing and programmable nanomachines.