Fitting pieces for biosensors(whole cells or organisms or tiny molecul...)

Date:4/7/2009

whole cells or organisms, or tiny molecules consisting of just a few atoms. The search for the right aptamers is like managing a gigantic molecular dating agency. Using an in vitro method, researchers select the best binding partners for the target molecule from a huge pool of 10 million x 100 million nucleic acids with different sequences. This selection method is called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment). SELEX is an evolutionary process performed in a 'test tube' (in vitro). Therefore the use of animals, plants or cell cultures is not required during the process. Beside ethical benefits, another advantage of this is the possibility of aptamer selection even for toxic substances. Once suitable binders (aptamers) for a target molecule have been found by the SELEX process and their sequences have been defined, aptamers can be produced very accurately and reliably at any time by chemical synthesis. Accordingly no biologically induced variations have to be taken into account during synthesis, as they would if natural systems were used. Another advantage is the possibility to give the aptamers defined properties relatively easily by sequence modifications or by adding functional groups or reporter molecules. The added properties can enable or simplify the measuring process, or improve the stability of the aptamers.

In the UFZ's biosensor laboratory headed by Dr Beate Strehlitz, Dr Regina Stoltenburg has developed two different modifications of the SELEX method. One of these is known as FluMag SELEX. The 'Flu' stands for fluorescence and refers to the fact that a fluorescence molecule is added to the nucleic acids during the SELEX procedure to make them visible. In this manner the molecules can always be found again and researchers can measure the enrichment of those which exhibit best binding and detecting abilities to the given target. The 'Mag' refers to magnetic beads. These are dust-mote-sized magnetic beads onto which the s
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Contact: Tilo Arnhold presse@ufz.de 49-341-235-1635 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres Source:Eurekalert

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