Gene therapy by engineering patient's own blood cells to confer HIV resistance can potentially lead to a functional cure for AIDS. Toward this goal, we have previously developed an anti-HIV lentivirus vector that deploys a combination of shRNA, ribozyme and RNA decoy. To further improve this therapeutic vector against viral escape, we sought an additional reagent to target HIV integrase. Here, ...

Cellular regulatory networks are organized such that many proteins have few interactions, whereas a few proteins have many. These densely connected protein "hubs" are critical for the system-wide behavior of cells, and the capability of selectively perturbing a subset of interactions at these hubs is invaluable in deciphering and manipulating regulatory mechanisms. SELEX-generated RNA aptamers ...

The power of riboswitches in regulation of bacterial metabolism derives from coupling of two characteristics: recognition and folding. Riboswitches contain aptamers, which function as biosensors. Upon detection of the signaling molecule, the riboswitch transduces the signal into a genetic decision. The genetic decision is coupled to refolding of the expression platform, which is distinct from, ...

We have recently identified an RNA aptamer for the transcription factor NFB p50 homodimer [(p50)2], which exhibits little sequence resemblance to the consensus DNA target for (p50)2, but binds (p50)2 with an affinity similar to that of the optimal DNA target. We describe here the 2.45-Å resolution x-ray crystal structure of the p50 RHR RNA aptamer complex. The structure reveals that two RNA mol...

Sephadex-binding RNA ligands (aptamers) were obtained through in vitro selection. They could be classified into two groups based on their consensus sequences and the aptamers from both groups showed strong binding to Sephadex G-100. One of the highest affinity aptamers, D8, was chosen for further characterization. Aptamer D8 bound to dextran B512, the soluble base material of Sephadex, but not ...

background: among diverse protein purification systems, affinity chromatography is the most attractive one in the purification process of coagulation factors. coagulation factor vii is a plasma serine protease that has a significant role in natural human hemostasis and its recombinant form such as aryoseventm, has been applied in clinical treatment of bleeding disorders. immunoaffinity chromato...

BACKGROUND Bio-conjugated nanoparticles are important analytical tools with emerging biological and medical applications. In this context, in situ conjugation of nanoparticles with biomolecules via laser ablation in an aqueous media is a highly promising one-step method for the production of functional nanoparticles resulting in highly efficient conjugation. Increased yields are required, parti...

We described the selection of a novel nucleic acid antibody-like prostate cancer (PCa) that specifically binds to the single-stranded DNA molecule from a 277-nt fragment that may have been partially paired and bound to the PCA3 RNA conformational structure. PCA3-277 aptamer ligands were obtained, and the best binding molecule, named CG3, was synthesized for validation. Aiming to prove its diagn...

The combination of specific ligand-binding aptamers with hairpin ribozyme catalysis generates molecules that can be controlled by external factors. Here we have generated hairpin ribozymes that can be regulated by a short DNA aptamer specific for human α-thrombin. This was achieved by constructing a ribozyme variant harboring an RNA sequence complementary to the aptamer, to which the aptamer ca...

Riboswitches control gene expression through ligand-dependent structural rearrangements of the sensing aptamer domain. However, we found that the Bacillus cereus fluoride riboswitch aptamer adopts identical tertiary structures in solution with and without ligand. Using chemical-exchange saturation transfer (CEST) NMR spectroscopy, we revealed that the structured ligand-free aptamer transiently ...