基于核酸适配体的生物标志物检测方法研究进展

核酸适配体是指能与特定靶分子结合的寡核苷酸链。因其具有易修饰、易合成和低免疫原性等特点,作为生物传感器的靶向元件,已广泛应用于各种生物标志物检测技术中。本文综述了近年来基于核酸适配体的生物标志物的检测技术在癌症、心血管疾病、阿尔兹海默症、抑郁症等多个疾病领域的诊断研究进展,列举核酸适配体新兴技术的创新应用,以期为生物标志物的检测提供新思路,也有望为相关疾病的早期诊断和治疗提供参考。     

一种新的分子识别元件:核酸适配子

核酸适配子是一类对靶分子有特异性识别与结合能力的单链寡核苷酸,可通过SELEX技术获得。和抗体相比,核酸适配子具有相对分子质量小、免疫原性低、体外容易修饰、合成简单、配体多样等优点,因此被广泛用于分析化学、医学、药学等领域。介绍了核酸适配子在生物传感器、靶向成像以及靶向给药方面的应用,拓展了分子识别章节的教学内容。     

核酸适配体在肿瘤靶向治疗方面的研究进展

传统的抗肿瘤药物大多不具有选择性,在临床治疗中产生了严重的毒副作用。核酸适配体是一种小分子核酸,能够与靶标高亲和性、高特异性地结合。选择与癌症发生发展过程密切相关的生物标记物为靶标进行SELEX过程筛选出的核酸适配体自身可作为药物,也可与药物、siRNA、纳米粒等结合构成靶向给药体系,该体系能靶向作用于特定的肿瘤细胞,降低对正常细胞的毒性,用药量显著降低,药效提高。本文综述了近年来核酸适配体直接作为抗肿瘤药物、药物载体、siRNA载体以及作为纳米材料靶向剂构成多元复合靶向给药体系在肿瘤靶向治疗领域的研究进展。     

核酸适配体在癌症诊断中的研究进展

核酸适配体是通过指数富集配体系统进化技术(SELEX)从体外合成的寡核苷酸文库中筛选得到的短的寡核苷酸分子(ssDNA或RNA)。核酸适配体能够通过折叠成特定的空间结构与靶标分子进行特异性结合,与抗体相比,适配体具有高亲和力、易修饰、低成本、易于合成和低免疫原性等优势,可以针对细胞、蛋白质、组织、生长因子进行癌症生物标志物的研究。作为一种新的诊断方法,其在分子诊断领域具有广阔的应用前景。本文综述了近年来核酸适配体在肺癌、胃癌、结直肠癌、乳腺癌、前列腺癌诊断中的应用研究,阐明了核酸适配体作为分子探针从细胞的检测到血清的检测所扮演的作用。     

引言

核酸适配体特指具有分子识别功能的短序列的单链核酸,也被称为"化学抗体"。它既有可与抗体相当的亲和力和特异性,又有明显优于抗体的特点:可通过化学合成制备,无需动物免疫,成本低;分子性质稳定,能可逆变性与复性,易储存运输;分子量小,易穿过细胞膜,免疫原性低,无明显的毒副作用;靶标范围广泛,包括金属离子、小分子、蛋白质、细胞和微生物等。Web of Science数据库显示,仅2010年以来就有超过5300篇核酸适配体论文发表,涉及生物医学、分子生物学、化学生物学、分析化学、材料化学、物理学、数学等学科领域。核酸适配体研究具有交叉学科特色,与核酸适配体应用相关的食品、环境和生物分析检测,以及核酸适配体在疾病诊断和治疗、药物研发和分子成像领域的应用潜力正吸引多学科领域研究者的广泛关注。我国学者在核酸适配体研究领域取得大量处于世界前列的研究成果。2009年以来,约300个核酸适配体相关项目获国家重大研究计划以及国家自然科学基金资助。近3年来,在生物、医学、中医药、环境和食品安全检测领域的核酸适配体相关应用研究也在快速增加。 纵观核酸适配体25年的发展,已报道的靶标超过500种,筛选出的核酸适配体超过2300种。但大量的研究和应用主要集中于一些常见的靶标和特定的核酸适配体。令人满意的具有实际应用价值的核酸适配体数目还非常有限。研究者普遍的共识是,核酸适配体的筛选过程复杂,筛选效率低,且缺少标准化的方法表征适配体的功能,这是目前制约核酸适配体广泛应用的两个瓶颈。     

全细胞的核酸适配体筛选的研究进展

核酸适配体(aptamer)是从人工合成的随机单链DNA(ssDNA)或RNA文库中筛选得到的,能够高亲和力、高特异性地与靶标结合的ssDNA或RNA。核酸适配体的靶标范围广,可包括小分子、蛋白质、细胞、微生物等多种靶标。其中以细胞为靶标的适配体在生物感应、分子成像、医学诊断、药物传输和疾病治疗等领域有很大的应用潜能。但全细胞的核酸适配体筛选过程复杂,筛选难度大,筛选的适配体性能不佳是导致目前可用的适配体非常有限的主要原因。由于细胞表面蛋白质在提取纯化过程中分子结构和形态会发生改变,故以膜表面蛋白质为靶标筛选的适配体很难应用于识别整体细胞。以全细胞为靶标的核酸适配体筛选则不需要准确了解细胞表面的分子结构,筛选过程中可保持细胞的天然状态,以全细胞为靶标筛选出的核酸适配体有望直接用于全细胞识别。本文总结了2008~2015年全细胞的核酸适配体筛选的研究进展,介绍了靶细胞的分类、核酸库的设计、筛选条件和方法以及核酸适配体的亲和力表征方法等。并列出全细胞靶标的核酸适配体序列。     

核酸适配体在微流控芯片中筛选及病毒性疾病中应用

核酸适配体是短的、单链DNA或RNA序列。相较于抗体成本高、不稳定、免疫原性、难修饰的问题,核酸适配体作为新一代亲和试剂,有着免疫原性低、易修饰、靶标范围广等优势。通过指数富集配体系统进化技术(Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment,SELEX)可获得与靶标分子特异性结合的核酸适配体,而如何提高核酸适配体筛选效率是核酸适配体广泛应用的一个瓶颈问题。目前,提高核酸适配体筛选效率的方法种类较多,而微流控SELEX的发展,加速了核酸适配体的发现。核酸适配体作为各种靶标的识别分子,具有诊断和治疗特定疾病的潜力。鉴于此,本文重点介绍核酸适配体在微流控芯片领域进行筛选的研究进展,以及阐述其在病毒性疾病中的应用以及展望。     

核酸适配体荧光探针在生化分析和生物成像中的研究进展

核酸适配体是指通过体外筛选技术从核酸文库中筛选出来,能够高特异性、高亲和力识别靶标物的寡核苷酸序列,具有靶标类型广泛、合成简单、相对分子质量小、化学稳定性高、易于进行生物化学修饰等优点。 核酸适配体能够通过折叠成特定的二维或三维构型与靶标物特异性结合,加上合适的信号转导机制,为重要靶标物的研究提供理想的分子识别与分子检测探针。 荧光检测技术具有高灵敏、高分辨率、易于实现多元分析等优点。 将核酸适配体的分子识别特性与荧光优异的光学检测性能相结合,在生命科学研究领域有着广泛的应用空间。 本文主要综述了核酸适配体荧光探针常见的分子设计和信号响应方式,及其在细胞成像、亚细胞成像中的应用研究,并对核酸适配体探针目前面临的一些挑战进行了讨论,最后对其未来的发展方向进行了展望。     

胃腺癌核酸适配体的筛选与特异性研究

核酸适配体可作为分子探针应用于胃腺癌的早期诊断和治疗,具有广泛应用前景。本实验利用Serum-SELEX（Ser-SELEX）技术筛选胃腺癌核酸适配体。通过对候选适配体二级结构分析,其二级结构多为茎环结构。圆二色谱分析显示,7条候选核酸适配体呈右手螺旋特征。通过荧光定量核酸扩增检测系统（q-PCR）检测了候选核酸适配体对胃腺癌靶标的亲和力,表明候选核酸适配体浓度梯度与Ct值均呈正相关,亲和力常数为纳摩尔级别。利用q-PCR法、量子点法验证了候选核酸适配体识别靶标的特异性,结果均显示Apt-101对靶标亲和力更高,特异性更强,Apt-101的平衡解离常数（K_d值）为6.444±1.128nmol/L,特异性检测阳性率大于70%。     

核酸适配体-目标物的相互作用机理研究与生化传感应用

核酸适配体是一种单链寡聚核苷酸,可通过氢键、静电作用等次级键力与其目标物发生特异性结合,在生化传感检测等领域拥有良好的应用前景。然而当前对核酸适配体与其目标物相互作用机理的研究较为缺乏,成为限制核酸适配体相关领域的基础与应用研究的瓶颈。本文系统综述了核酸适配体与目标物相互作用机理的研究内容,并着重介绍了相关研究方法的原理与应用,包括等温滴定量热、微量热泳动、毛细管电泳、圆二色光谱、表面等离子共振、石英晶体微天平、原子力显微镜、分子对接与分子动力学等。而后,总结了基于核酸适配体-目标物相互作用机理的生化传感检测策略设计的方法与依据。最后,对核酸适配体-目标物相互作用机理研究的挑战与前景进行了展望。     

Recent Progress in Aptamer‐Based Functional Probes for Bioanalysis and Biomedicine

Nucleic acid aptamers are short synthetic DNA or RNA sequences that can bind to a wide range of targets with high affinity and specificity. In recent years, aptamers have attracted increasing research interest due to their unique features of high binding affinity and specificity, small size, excellent chemical stability, easy chemical synthesis, facile modification, and minimal immunogenicity. These properties make aptamers ideal recognition ligands for bioanalysis, disease diagnosis, and cancer therapy. This review highlights the recent progress in aptamer selection and the latest applications of aptamer‐based functional probes in the fields of bioanalysis and biomedicine.     

Aptamers: molecular tools for analytical applications

Aptamers are artificial nucleic acid ligands, specifically generated against certain targets, such as amino acids, drugs, proteins or other molecules. In nature they exist as a nucleic acid based genetic regulatory element called a riboswitch. For generation of artificial ligands, they are isolated from combinatorial libraries of synthetic nucleic acid by exponential enrichment, via an in vitro iterative process of adsorption, recovery and reamplification known as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Thanks to their unique characteristics and chemical structure, aptamers offer themselves as ideal candidates for use in analytical devices and techniques. Recent progress in the aptamer selection and incorporation of aptamers into molecular beacon structures will ensure the application of aptamers for functional and quantitative proteomics and high-throughput screening for drug discovery, as well as in various analytical applications. The properties of aptamers as well as recent developments in improved, time-efficient methods for their selection and stabilization are outlined. The use of these powerful molecular tools for analysis and the advantages they offer over existing affinity biocomponents are discussed. Finally the evolving use of aptamers in specific analytical applications such as chromatography, ELISA-type assays, biosensors and affinity PCR as well as current avenues of research and future perspectives conclude this review.     

SECM for Studying the Immobilization and Repartition of a Redox Anti-tetracycline Aptamer on Screen-printed Carbon Electrodes

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is discussed as a versatile tool to provide a unique approach of localized electrochemical information in the context of biosensing research. The step-by-step immobilization of DNA aptamer with intrinsic redox activity on screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was successfully monitored using SECM imaging tool. Control experiments were performed with a non-electroactive aptamer. After immobilization of these aptamers, SECM images showed the repartition of the electroactive anti-tetracycline aptamer when comparing with images produced for control and for all modification steps of SPCE. The possibility of tetracycline detection was also proved by causing a decrease in recorded current.     

In vivo Fluorescence Imaging of Tumors using Molecular Aptamers Generated by Cell‐SELEX

Poor sensitivity and low specificity of current molecular imaging probes limit their application in clinical settings. To address these challenges, we used a process known as cell‐SELEX to develop unique molecular probes termed aptamers with the high binding affinity, sensitivity, and specificity needed for in vivo molecular imaging inside living animals. Importantly, aptamers can be selected by cell‐SELEX to recognize target cells, or even surface membrane proteins, without requiring prior molecular signature information. As a result, we are able to present the first report of aptamers molecularly engineered with signaling molecules and optimized for the fluorescence imaging of specific tumor cells inside a mouse. Using a Cy5‐labeled aptamer TD05 (Cy5‐TD05) as the probe, the in vivo efficacy of aptamer‐based molecular imaging in Ramos (B‐cell lymphoma) xenograft nude mice was tested. After intravenous injection of Cy5‐TD05 into mice bearing grafted tumors, noninvasive, whole‐body fluorescence imaging then allowed the spatial and temporal distribution to be directly monitored. Our results demonstrate that the aptamers could effectively recognize tumors with high sensitivity and specificity, thus establishing the efficacy of these fluorescent aptamers for diagnostic applications and in vivo studies requiring real‐time molecular imaging.     

适配体在靶向特异性检测中的最新应用进展

适配体是体外采用SELEX技术筛选得到的一段寡核苷酸序列(DNA或RNA),能折叠成一定的空间结构结合靶物质,实现特异性吸附。其功能类似抗体,但具有抗体无法比拟的优势,如靶物质范围广、特异性强、亲和力高、可体外筛选、易于标记和修饰、稳定性好、没有毒性、易制备等。近年来,适配体已在分析检测、生物化学、食品安全、临床医疗等领域得到广泛应用。本文综述了适配体在金属离子、抗生素、农药残留、真菌毒素、蛋白质、微生物、细胞等成分靶向特异性快速检测方面的应用进展,并分析其存在的局限性和问题,展望其应用前景和发展趋势,以期为适配体应用的拓展和相关研究提供依据和支持。     

Cell-specific internalization study of an aptamer from whole cell selection

Nucleic acid aptamers have been shown many unique applications as excellent probes in molecular recognition. However, few examples are reported which show that aptamers can be internalized inside living cells for aptamer functional studies and for targeted intracellular delivery. This is mainly due to the limited number of aptamers available for cell-specific recognition, and the lack of research on their extra- and intracellular functions. One of the major difficulties in aptamers' in vivo application is that most of aptamers, unlike small molecules, cannot be directly taken up by cells without external assistance. In this work, we have studied a newly developed and cell-specific DNA aptamer, sgc8. This aptamer has been selected through a novel cell selection process (cell-SELEX), in which whole intact cells are used as targets while another related cell line is used as a negative control. The cell-SELEX enables generation of multiple aptamers for molecular recognition of the target cells and has significant advantages in discovering cell surface binding molecules for the selected aptamers. We have studied the cellular internalization of one of the selected aptamers. Our results show that sgc8 is internalized efficiently and specifically to the lymphoblastic leukemia cells. The internalized sgc8 aptamers are located inside the endosome. Comparison studies are done with the antibody for the binding protein of sgc8, PTK7 (Human protein tyrosine kinase-7) on cell surface. We also studied the internalization kinetics of both the aptamer and the antibody for the same protein on the living cell surface. We have further evaluated the effects of sgc8 on cell viability, and no cytotoxicity is observed. This study indicates that sgc8 is a promising agent for cell-type specific intracellular delivery.     

核酸适配体在多肽研究中的应用

多肽在生命体的生理过程中发挥着重要作用,其生理功能一直是生物学、药理学和医学等领域的重要研究内容.核酸适配体是经体外筛选获得的单链DNA或RNA,能与靶标高亲和力、高特异性地结合,有"化学抗体"或"化学家的抗体"之称.以多肽为靶标筛选获得的核酸适配体主要有两大用途:一是基于其识别功能,作为亲和试剂来建立分析检测方法或开展生物成像研究;二是基于它们的生物学活性,作为拮抗剂在活体水平影响靶标多肽的正常功能,阻碍下游信号通路,从而对疾病进行治疗.本文总结了近年来以多肽为靶标筛选的核酸适配体在体内及体外的用途,并探讨了其在筛选、表征及应用中存在的问题,并对其未来的发展趋势进行了展望.     

核酸适体功能化的二维材料场效应晶体管传感器研究进展

二维材料场效应晶体管传感器具有可调的电学性质和高的灵敏度, 非常适合用于构建高性能的传感器, 应用于疾病诊断和环境监测等领域. 核酸适体是一种生物识别分子, 具有特异性强、 稳定性高等优势. 近年来, 核酸适体功能化的二维材料场效应晶体管传感器在医疗诊断和环境监测等领域取得了显著的研究进展. 本文综合评述了核酸适体功能化的二维材料场效应晶体管传感器的最新研究进展, 对场效应晶体管传感器的结构及传感原理进行了概括, 详细介绍了二维材料的制备方法以及核酸适体功能化器件的设计原理. 在此基础上, 对核酸适体功能化的二维材料场效应晶体管传感器在疾病诊断和环境监测领域的应用进展进行了概述, 讨论了核酸适体功能化的二维材料场效应晶体管传感器面临的一些问题和挑战, 对其发展前景进行了展望.