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Updated: Oct 16, 2025
A Flow Cytometry-Based Cell Surface Protein Binding Assay for Assessing Selectivity and Specificity of an Anticancer Aptamer
Published on: September 13, 2022
Anti-cancer adjuvant drug screening via epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related aptamer probe
Huai-Song Wang1, Xingya Xia1, Yingming Wang1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is implicated in the pathological processes of cancer metastasis and drug resistance. Anti-cancer drugs may also potentially lead to EMT, resulting in their reduced therapeutic effect. Therefore, the combination of these anti-cancer drugs with anti-EMT agents has been promoted in clinic. Screening anti-EMT drugs and evaluation of EMT process are highly dependent on EMT biomarkers on cell membrane. At present, the detection of EMT biomarker is mainly by Western blot method, which is time-consuming and complicated. In this work, for effectively screening anti-EMT drugs by evaluation of the EMT process, a type of aptamer probe based on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was designed. The aptamer SYL3C was employed to target the EMT biomarker EpCAM on cell membrane. Two fluorophores, FAM and tetraphenylethene (TPE, an AIE dye), were modified at the two ends of SYL3C, respectively. This aptamer probe (TPE-SYL3C-FAM) can monitor the EpCAM expression, which can be recovered by anti-EMT drugs. By observation of the change in TPE emission intensity, the anti-EMT effect of drugs can be evaluated. The FAM emission was used as internal reference to reduce environmental interferences. This probe can be potentially used to screen anti-EMT agents as anti-cancer adjuvant drugs with high throughput.
Insights
Researchers developed a novel aptamer probe using aggregation-induced emission (AIE) to efficiently screen anti-epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drugs. This probe monitors EpCAM levels, aiding in the development of new cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial in cancer metastasis and drug resistance.
- Anti-cancer drugs can induce EMT, reducing therapeutic efficacy.
- Current methods for detecting EMT biomarkers are time-consuming and complex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a high-throughput method for screening anti-EMT drugs.
- To create a novel aptamer probe for evaluating EMT processes.
- To monitor EpCAM expression as an EMT biomarker.
Main Methods:
- Designed an aptamer probe (TPE-SYL3C-FAM) utilizing aggregation-induced emission (AIE).
- The aptamer SYL3C targets the EMT biomarker EpCAM on the cell membrane.
- The probe uses TPE as an AIE fluorophore and FAM as an internal reference.
Main Results:
- The TPE-SYL3C-FAM probe effectively monitors EpCAM expression.
- Changes in TPE emission intensity correlate with EMT status and drug effects.
- The probe demonstrated potential for evaluating anti-EMT drug efficacy.
Conclusions:
- The AIE-based aptamer probe offers a sensitive and efficient tool for evaluating EMT.
- This method can accelerate the screening of anti-EMT agents as adjuvant cancer therapies.
- The probe facilitates high-throughput screening for novel anti-cancer drugs.
