Aptamer Utility in Sensor Platformsfor the Detection of Toxins and Heavy Metals
Journal Title: Journal of Toxins - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Nucleic acid research has expanded in recent years through the development of an in vitro methodology for the derivation of functional nucleic acids, capable of binding to specific targets with high specificity and sensitivity. These activities are similar to those of antibodies, yet the single-stranded oligonucleotide, called aptamer, can be readily created on a large-scale using solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. This relative ease of synthesis has made aptamers a highly versatile tool for the detection of important targets for applications in imaging, diagnostics and therapeutics. Aptamers are able to show high fidelity to specific targets due to their selective affinities. They undergo structural alteration and topological changes when they bind to specific targets and most sensors using aptamers today leverage on this characteristic to record a detectable signal. The use of aptamers in modern applications is vast and cannot possibly be covered in a single review. This review explicitly focuses on DNA aptamers used for detecting toxins and heavy metals, and outlines their utility in contemporary sensor designs, and their future prospects as analytical tools.
Authors and Affiliations
Richard A. Manderville
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP245672
- DOI 10.13188/2328-1723.1000016
- Views 74
- Downloads 0
Preliminary Studies of the Toxicity of Agaricus Bisporous Aqueous Enzymatic Extracts (AbAEE) In Rats
The health benefits of extracts from Agaricus bisporus greatly extend its use as components of new functional foods for the treatment and prevention of diseases, rather than restricting it to a good food with high nutrit...
Insecticide Reproductive Toxicity Profile: Organophosphate, Carbamate and Pyrethroids
Exposure to pesticides is very common world-wide, and is broadly known the acute toxic effects to humans of pesticides following a high dose exposure; however, knowledge about chronic low-dose adverse effects to specific...
Chemoprevention of Silymarin and Vitamin C on Isoniazid-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Experimental Rat Model
Isoniazid, anti-mycobacterial agent employed clinically in the treatment of bacterial infections (tuberculosis), is known to cause a number of biochemical dysfunctions and suspected to induce hepatic damage to animals an...
Mutagenicity Analysis of C8-Phenoxy-Guanine in the NarI Recognition DNA Sequence
Phenoxyl radicals can covalently attach to the C8-site of 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG) to generate oxygen-linked biaryl ether C8-dG adducts. To determine the mutagenicity of an O-linked C8- dG adduct, C8-phenoxy-dG (PhOdG) was...
Aptamer Utility in Sensor Platformsfor the Detection of Toxins and Heavy Metals
Nucleic acid research has expanded in recent years through the development of an in vitro methodology for the derivation of functional nucleic acids, capable of binding to specific targets with high specificity and sensi...