Novel Complex of PD-L1 Aptamer and Albumin Enhances Antitumor Efficacy In Vivo

The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway blockade can generate a good clinical response by reducing immunosuppression and provoking durable antitumor immunity. In addition to antibodies, aptamers can also block the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1. For the in vivo application, however, free aptamers are usually too small in size and quickly removed from blood via glomerular filtration. To avoid renal clearance of aptamer, we conjugated the PD-L1 aptamer to albumin to form a larger complex (BSA-Apt) and evaluated whether BSA-Apt would enhance the in vivo antitumor efficacy. The PD-L1 aptamer was thiol-modified and conjugated to the amino group of BSA via a SMCC linker. The average size of BSA-Apt was 11.65 nm, which was above the threshold for renal clearance. Functionally, BSA-Apt retained the capability of the PD-L1 aptamer to bind with PDL1-expressing tumor cells. Moreover, both the free aptamer and BSA-Apt augmented the PBMC-induced antitumor cytotoxicity in vitro. Furthermore, BSA-Apt generated a significantly stronger antitumor efficacy than the free PD-L1 aptamer in vivo without raising systemic toxicity. The results indicate that conjugating the PD-L1 aptamer to albumin may serve as a promising strategy to improve the in vivo functionality of the aptamer and that BSA-Apt may have application potential in cancer immunotherapy.     

Novel Enzyme-Linked Aptamer Assay for the Determination of Aflatoxin B1 in Peanuts

Abstract

A novel enzyme-linked aptamer assay is reported for the determination of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁). AFB₁ can competitively bind with the immobilized biotin-aptamer and release biotin complementary DNA, leading to the gradual fading of the detection system color with increasing of AFB₁ concentration. In the absence of AFB₁, the biotinylated complementary DNA is not be released from the fixed aptamer. Therefore, the enzyme reaction occurs in the detection system. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the proposed method possessed a wide linear range for AFB₁ from 1 to 80?ng/mL (R² of 0.990) with a low detection limit of 0.36?ng/mL. The method was then applied to detect uncontaminated peanuts fortified with different concentrations of AFB₁. The recovery values were from 82.60% to 94.43%, which indicated the proposed method may be used to detect AFB₁ in food and has potential for the development of test kits.     

适配体生物传感器在黄曲霉毒素B1检测中的应用

该文首先对黄曲霉毒素B1（AFB1）的相关性质及其传统检测方法进行了介绍,随后概述了近年来基于光学、电化学以及微流控芯片的适配体生物传感器的构建及其在AFB1检测领域中的应用,旨为适配体生物传感器的实际应用提供参考;并通过探讨目前开发的检测方法存在的问题,对适配体生物传感器前景和未来趋势进行了展望。     

基于胶体金检测核酸适配子与蛋白相互作用的新方法

基于核酸适配子对靶蛋白的高特异性及胶体金比色法的高度灵敏性,建立了一种分析核酸适配子与靶蛋白亲和力以及简便快速检测蛋白质的新方法.核酸适配子保护的胶体金在高盐条件下可保持稳定,靶蛋白与胶体金竞争结合适配子,使胶体金发生聚沉,呈现颜色变化,可通过检测A520值分析适配子与靶蛋白的亲和力以及蛋白浓度.通过对适配子浓度、靶蛋白浓度、共孵育时间、竞争反应时间和氯化钠浓度等关键因素进行优化,确定了最佳检测条件.     

间接竞争酶联适配体检测食品中土霉素

研究建立了一种间接竞争酶联适配体检测食品中土霉素(OTC)的分析方法。通过方阵滴定法和单因素实验优化了检测条件。在最佳实验条件下,方法的半抑制浓度(IC50)为6.3 ng/m L,对OTC的检测线性范围为0.5~50 ng/m L;与结构类似物有较低的交叉反应;对牛奶、奶粉、鸡肉、水产品和蜂蜜样品中土霉素的加标回收率为62.1%~102%,相对标准偏差(RSD)小于15%。将建立的方法用于实际样品检测,并与国标方法进行对比,两者获得较高的相关性(r2=0.979)。本方法可实现对实际样品中土霉素的快速、高灵敏和高通量检测。     

Determination of Enrofloxacin in Bovine Milk by a Novel Single-Stranded DNA Aptamer Chemiluminescent Enzyme Immunoassay

Enrofloxacin, a widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic, may be a cause of bacterial drug resistance and is forbidden in poultry. Consequently, a sensitive and rapid method is required for its determination. Aptamers, which are more stable and easily synthesized than antibodies, may serve as alternatives in the development of methods for rapid detection. Six single-strand DNA aptamers binding to enrofloxacin were selected by in vitro selection. Aptamer number 17 showed the highest affinity for enrofloxacin with a dissociation constant of 188 nM and the highest guanine concentration (35%), which was predicted to be crucial for strong affinity of the aptamer to enrofloxacin, and successfully distinguished enrofloxacin from its structure analogs. Using aptamer number 17, a novel chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay associating with biotin-streptavidin was developed that allowed the determination of enrofloxacin to 2.26 ng/mL. Due to its capability to determine enrofloxacin in bovine milk, this newly selected aptamer may find broad application in food and environmental monitoring.     

Selection and Characterization of Vimentin-Binding Aptamer Motifs for Ovarian Cancer

The application of aptamers in biomedicine is emerging as an essential technology in the field of cancer research. As small single-stranded DNA or RNA ligands with high specificity and low immunogenicity for their targets, aptamers provide many advantages in cancer therapeutics over protein-based molecules, such as antibodies. Vimentin is an intermediate filament protein that is overexpressed in endothelial cells of cancerous tissue. High expression levels of vimentin have been associated with increased capacity for migration and invasion of the tumor cells. We have selected and identified thioated aptamers with high specificity for vimentin using human ovarian cancer tissues. Tentative binding motifs were chosen for two vimentin aptamers based on predicted secondary structures. Each of these shorter, tentative binding motifs was synthesized, purified, and characterized via cell binding assays. Two vimentin binding motifs with high fidelity binding were selected and further characterized via cell and tissue binding assays, as well as flow cytometric analysis. The equilibrium binding constants of these small thioated aptamer constructs were also determined. Future applications for the vimentin binding aptamer motifs include conjugation of the aptamers to synthetic dyes for use in targeted imaging and therapy, and ultimately more detailed and precise monitoring of treatment response and tumor progression in ovarian pathology.     

适体及其在分析检测中的应用

适体的出现使人们认识到核酸不仅可以作为遗传信息存储和转运的载体,还可以作为一种具有识别功能的分子。适体对目标物的识别具有高选择性和高亲和力,还有很多其它传统识别分子所不具备的优点,这使得其在分析检测领域得到关注和广泛应用。对适体的筛选过程、特点以及其在分析检测方面的主要应用进行综述。     

A Simple Structure-Switch Aptasensor Using Label-Free Aptamer for Fluorescence Detection of Aflatoxin B1

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, and it causes contamination in foods and great risk to human health. Simple sensitive detection of AFB1 is important and demanded for food safety and quality control. Aptamers can specifically bind to targets with high affinity, showing advantages in affinity assays and biosensors. We reported an aptamer structure-switch for fluorescent detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), using a label-free aptamer, a fluorescein (FAM)-labeled complementary strand (FDNA), and a quencher (BHQ1)-labeled complementary strand (QDNA). When AFB1 is absent, these three strands assemble into a duplex DNA structure through DNA hybridization, making FAM close to BHQ1, and fluorescence quenching occurs. In the presence of AFB1, the aptamer binds with AFB1, instead of hybridizing with QDNA. Thus, FAM is apart from BHQ1, and fluorescence increases with the addition of AFB1. This assay allowed detection of AFB1 with a detection limit of 61 pM AFB1 and a dynamic concentration range of 61 pM to 4 μM. This aptamer-based method enabled detection of AFB1 in complex sample matrix (e.g., beer and corn flour samples).     

核酸适配体在重金属检测中的应用研究

随着工业化生产的快速发展,由重金属离子带来的环境污染也越来越引起了人们的高度重视.科研人员通过不同的检测方法对重金属离子进行检测.由于核酸适配体对重金属离子的选择性较高,使得其在重金属检测中的应用越来越广.     

The Ability of Nuclease-Resistant RNA Aptamer against Streptococcus suis Serotype 2, Strain P1/7 to Reduce Biofilm Formation In Vitro

Streptococcus suis, a Gram-positive bacterium, is an important swine and human pathogen, with serotype 2 being the most prevalent strain found worldwide. Deafness, meningitis, and death (in severe cases) are observed in S. suis-infected cases. Development of the ligands that can bind to S. suis with high affinity and specificity could be beneficial for the diagnosis and treatment of S. suis infection. Herein, the nuclease-resistant RNA aptamers based on 2′-fluoropyrimidine modification against S. suis serotype 2, strain P1/7, were established using the cell- Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment (SELEX) technique. One of the aptamers, R8-su12, could bind to the S. suis target strain as well as other S. suis serotypes, i.e., 1, 1/2, 9, and 14, but not to other bacteria tested, i.e., S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Moreover, the R8-su12 RNA aptamer was also capable of inhibiting the biofilm formation of the S. suis target strain, making it potentially useful for the study of biofilm formation and the treatment of S. suis infection in humans and pigs in the future.     

基于荧光探针噻唑橙与核酸适体构象变化的钾离子检测

建立了一种基于核酸适体(Aptamer)构象效应和荧光探针噻唑橙(TO)为荧光分子开关进行钾离子检测的光学方法.室温下钾离子可与Aptamer结合形成G-四面体结构,使双链解链变为四面体结构和单链,从而导致TO荧光强度降低.考察了TO浓度、反应温度及反应时间的影响.在最佳实验条件下,钾离子浓度在1.0×10-6 ～2....     

Isolation and Characterization of a ssDNA Aptamer against Major Soluble Antigen of Renibacterium salmoninarum

Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is a major health problem of salmonids, affecting both wild and cultured salmon. The disease is caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum (Rs), a fastidious, slow-growing and strongly Gram-positive diplobacillus that produces chronic, systemic infection characterized by granulomatous lesions in the kidney and other organs, often resulting in death. Fast detection of the pathogen is important to limit the spread of the disease, particularly in hatcheries or aquaculture facilities. Aptamers are increasingly replacing conventional antibodies as platforms for the development of rapid diagnostic tools. In this work, we describe the first instance of isolating and characterizing a ssDNA aptamer that binds with high affinity to p57 or major soluble antigen (MSA), the principal antigen found on the cell wall surface of Rs. Specifically, in this study a construct of the full-length protein containing a DNA binding domain (MSA-R2c) was utilized as target. Aptamers were isolated from a pool of random sequences using GO-SELEX (graphene oxide-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) protocol. The selection generated multiple aptamers with conserved motifs in the random region. One aptamer with high frequency of occurrence in different clones was characterized and found to display a strong binding affinity to MSA-R2c with a K_d of 3.0 ± 0.6 nM. The aptamer could be potentially utilized for the future development of a sensor for rapid and onsite detection of Rs in water or in infected salmonids, replacing time-consuming and costly lab analyses.     

Aptamer Molecular Beacon Sensor for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Ochratoxin A

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a carcinogenic fungal secondary metabolite which causes wide contamination in a variety of food stuffs and environments and has a high risk to human health. Developing a rapid and sensitive method for OTA detection is highly demanded in food safety, environment monitoring, and quality control. Here, we report a simple molecular aptamer beacon (MAB) sensor for rapid OTA detection. The anti-OTA aptamer has a fluorescein (FAM) labeled at the 5′ end and a black hole quencher (BHQ1) labeled at the 3′ end. The specific binding of OTA induced a conformational transition of the aptamer from a random coil to a duplex–quadruplex structure, which brought FAM and BHQ1 into spatial proximity causing fluorescence quenching. Under the optimized conditions, this aptamer sensor enabled OTA detection in a wide dynamic concentration range from 3.9 nM to 500 nM, and the detection limit was about 3.9 nM OTA. This method was selective for OTA detection and allowed to detect OTA spiked in diluted liquor and corn flour extraction samples, showing the capability for OTA analysis in practical applications.     

金属有机骨架材料-核酸适配体荧光法检测沙门氏菌

基于金属有机骨架材料(Uio-66-NH2)的荧光猝灭特性以及对核酸适配体的吸附性,结合核酸适配体的高亲和力与高特异性识别能力,构建了针对沙门氏菌检测的荧光生物传感器,当有荧光素修饰的沙门氏菌、适配体被材料吸附到表面时,由于材料诱导电子转移猝灭了荧光素的荧光,若溶液中存在沙门氏菌,则沙门氏菌与其适配体特异性结合后从材料表面脱附,材料与荧光素之间的电子转移过程被切断,荧光素的荧光恢复。基于此原理构建的荧光传感器的信号与沙门氏菌浓度的对数在101~105cfu/m L范围内呈良好的线性关系,检出限(S/N=3)为7 cfu/m L,将该方法用于虾肉样品中沙门氏菌的检测,加标回收率为90.0%~108.0%,该传感器对沙门氏菌有较好的选择性与灵敏度。     

Aptamer Laden Liquid Crystals Biosensing Platform for the Detection of HIV-1 Glycoprotein-120

We report a label-free and simple approach for the detection of glycoprotein-120 (gp-120) using an aptamer-based liquid crystals (LCs) biosensing platform. The LCs are supported on the surface of a modified glass slide with a suitable amount of B40t77 aptamer, allowing the LCs to be homeotropically aligned. A pronounced topological change was observed on the surface due to a specific interaction between B40t77 and gp-120, which led to the disruption of the homeotropic alignment of LCs. This results in a dark-to-bright transition observed under a polarized optical microscope. With the developed biosensing platform, it was possible to not only identify gp-120, but obtained results were analyzed quantitatively through image analysis. The detection limit of the proposed biosensing platform was investigated to be 0.2 µg/mL of gp-120. Regarding selectivity of the developed platform, no response could be detected when gp-120 was replaced by other proteins, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA), hepatitis A virus capsid protein 1 (Hep A VP1) and immunoglobulin G protein (IgG). Due to attributes such as label-free, high specificity and no need for instrumental read-out, the presented biosensing platform provides the potential to develop a working device for the quick detection of HIV-1 gp-120.     

适体功能化的金纳米棒用于癌症靶向治疗的研究进展

金纳米棒(gold nanorods,GNRs)具有特殊的光学性质、较大的比表面积、出色的光热转换性能、表面易修饰等特点,在药物递送、光疗、生物成像和化学传感等领域应用十分广泛。适体是短的单链DNA或RNA片段,可特异性识别癌细胞或其表面的膜蛋白。近年来,适体功能化的GNRs在癌症靶向治疗领域显示出良好的应用前景。根据GNRs对癌症作用机制的差异,本文从光热疗法、光动力疗法、化疗和联合疗法4个方面总结了适体功能化的GNRs在癌症靶向治疗中的最新进展,并对该领域面临的主要挑战和发展趋势进行了探讨与展望。     

Label Free Determination of Potassium Ions Using Crystal Violet and Thrombin-Binding Aptamer

A label-free method for sensitive determination of potassium ions was developed. The most commonly studied thrombin-binding aptamer was used as the molecular probe and crystal violet was chosen as a fluorescence signal reporter. The fluorescence of crystal violet was significantly enhanced when the crystal violet solution was mixed with the single-stranded thrombin-binding aptamer. However, in the presence of potassium ions, due to the formation of potassium induced G-quadruplex structures, the fluorescence decreased. Potassium ions were determined using the change in fluorescence. The conformational transformation was investigated by circular dichroism, and interferences caused by sodium ions were studied. This label-free method offers a simple procedure that induces minimum effects on the G-quadruplex formation. Under the optimized conditions, the method exhibited a linear range from 30–420 µM for potassium ions with a detection limit of 6 µM.     

Natural Compound Shikonin Is a Novel PAK1 Inhibitor and Enhances Efficacy of Chemotherapy against Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Shikonin is the main component of root extracts from the Chinese herbal medicine Lithospermum erythrorhizon, which is commonly used for the treatment of various diseases including cancer. Previous research showed that shikonin suppressed pancreatic cancer growth; nevertheless, its molecular targets and mechanisms have not been elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the interaction and regulatory mechanisms of shikonin on its potential target p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1). Through a labchip-based screening method, shikonin was identified as a potential bioactive PAK1 inhibitor. Molecular docking technology was used to detect the interaction sites of shikonin and PAK1 kinase. Western blot was performed to validate the mechanism. MTT and flow cytometry were practiced to investigate the effect of shikonin against pancreatic cancer cells. The results show that shikonin significantly inhibited the activity of PAK1 kinase with IC₅₀ value of 7.252 ± 0.054 μM. Molecular docking studies showed that shikonin binds to the ATP-binding pocket of the PAK1 kinase domain. Moreover, shikonin inhibited PAK1 activation and its downstream signaling pathway proteins, while reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. Further studies showed that the treatment of shikonin sensitized pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. These results suggest that shikonin, a potential natural inhibitor targeting PAK1 kinase, has promising potent applications in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and chemotherapy sensitization.     

采用超低场生物力谱技术研究核酸适配体与凝血酶蛋白的相互作用

蛋白质和核酸是构成生命体最为重要的两类生物大分子,它们之间的相互作用是分子生物学研究的中心问题之一,也是许多生命活动的重要组成部分。本文基于一种全新的超低场生物力谱技术,以凝血酶蛋白为研究对象,考察了凝血酶与其对应的核酸适配体之间的相互作用。结果表明,凝血酶蛋白与核酸适配体之间的结合力大小约为80 p N。同时,在分子水平上获得了凝血酶蛋白与核酸适配体之间的解离动力学信息。