In vitro selection of Leishmania infantum H3-binding ssDNA aptamers

Aptamer-Based Technologies for Parasite Detection

Centuries of scientific breakthroughs have brought us closer to understanding and managing the spread of parasitic diseases. Despite ongoing technological advancements in the detection, treatment, and control of parasitic illnesses, their effects on animal and human health remain a major concern worldwide. Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides whose unique three-dimensional structures enable them to interact with high specificity and affinity to a wide range of targets. In recent decades, aptamers have emerged as attractive alternatives to antibodies as therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Due to their superior stability, reusability, and modifiability, aptamers have proven to be effective bioreceptors for the detection of toxins, contaminants, biomarkers, whole cells, pathogens, and others. As such, they have been integrated into a variety of electrochemical, fluorescence, and optical biosensors to effectively detect whole parasites and their proteins. This review offers a summary of the various types of parasite-specific aptamer-based biosensors, their general mechanisms and their performance.

Advances in Aptamer-Based Biosensors and Cell-Internalizing SELEX Technology for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Application

Aptamers are a group of synthetic single-stranded nucleic acids. They are generated from a random library of single-stranded DNA or RNA by a technology named systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). SELEX is a repetitive process to select and identify suitable aptamers that show high affinity and specificity towards target cells. Great strides have been achieved in the design, construction, and use of aptamers up to this point. However, only a small number of aptamer-based applications have achieved widespread commercial and clinical acceptance. Additionally, finding more effective ways to acquire aptamers with high affinity remains a challenge. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly examine the existing dearth and advancement in aptamer-related technologies. This review focuses on aptamers that are generated by SELEX to detect pathogenic microorganisms and mammalian cells, as well as in cell-internalizing SELEX for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The development of novel aptamer-based biosensors using optical and electrical methods for microbial detection is reported. The applications and limitations of aptamers are also discussed.

Selection and characterization of DNA aptamers for highly selective recognition of the major allergen of olive pollen Ole e 1

In this study, single-stranded DNA aptamers with binding affinity to Ole e 1, the major allergen of olive pollen, were selected using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) method. Binding of the aptamers was firstly established by enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA) and aptaprecipitation assays. Additionally, aptamer-modified monolithic capillary chromatography was used in order to evaluate the recognition of this allergenic protein against other non-target proteins. The results indicated that AptOle1#6 was the aptamer that provided the highest affinity for Ole e 1. The selected aptamer showed good selective recognition of this protein, being not able to retain other non-target proteins (HSA, cyt c, and other pollen protein such as Ole e 9). The feasibility of the affinity monolithic column was demonstrated by selective recognition of Ole e 1 in an allergy skin test. The stability and reproducibility of this monolithic column was suitable, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) in retention times and peak area values of 7.8 and 9.3%, respectively (column-to-column reproducibility). This is the first study that describes the design of an efficient DNA aptamer for this relevant allergen.

Current Advances in the Development of Diagnostic Tests based on Aptamers in Parasitology: A Systematic Review

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA sequences of 20–80 nucleotides that interact with different targets such as: proteins, ions, viruses, or toxins, through non-covalent interactions and their unique three-dimensional conformation. They are obtained in vitro by the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Because of their ability of target recognition with high specificity and affinity, aptamers are usually compared to antibodies. However, they present many advantages that make them promising molecules for the development of new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. In medical parasitology, aptamers also represent an attractive alternative for the implementation of new parasite detection methods, easy to apply in endemic regions. The aim of this study was to describe the current advances in the development of diagnostic tests based on aptamers in parasitology. For this, articles were selected following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The 26 resulting articles deal with the use of aptamers for the detection of six important protozoa that affect human health. This systematic review clearly demonstrates the specificity, sensitivity and selectivity of aptamers and aptasensors, that certainly will soon become standard methods in medical parasitology.

DNA aptamers targeting Leishmania infantum H3 protein as potential diagnostic tools

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a parasite of the genus Leishmania that affects millions of people worldwide. These parasites are characterized by the presence of a DNA-containing granule, the kinetoplastid, located in the single mitochondrion at the base of the cell's flagellum. Interestingly, these flagellates do not condense chromatin during mitosis, possibly due to the specific molecular features of their histones. Although histones are extremely conserved proteins, kinetoplastid core histone sequences diverge significantly from those of higher eukaryotes. This divergence makes kinetoplastid core histones potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic targets. Aptamers are short single-stranded nucleic acids that are able to recognize target molecules with high affinity and specificity. Their binding capacity is a consequence of the particular three-dimensional structure acquired depending on their sequence. These molecules are currently used for detection, diagnosis and therapeutic purpose. Starting from a previously obtained ssDNA aptamer population against rLiH3 protein we have isolated two individual aptamers, AptLiH3#4 and AptLiH3#10. Next, we have performed ELONA, Western blot and slot blot assays to establish aptamer specificity and affinity for LiH3 histone. In addition, ELONA assays using peptides corresponding to overlapped sequences of LiH3 were made to map the aptamers:LiH3 interaction. Finally, different assays using aptamers were performed in order to evaluate the possibility of using these aptamers as sensing molecule to recognize the endogenous protein LiH3. Our results indicate that both aptamers have high affinity and specificity for the target and are able to detect the endogenous LiH3 histone protein in promastigotes lysates. In silico analysis reveals that these two aptamers have different potential secondary structure among them, however, both of them are able to recognize the same peptide sequences present in the protein. In conclusion, our findings indicate that these aptamers could be used for LiH3 histone detection and, in consequence, as potential biosensing molecules in a diagnostic tool for leishmaniasis.

Advances on Aptamers against Protozoan Parasites

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA sequences with a unique three-dimensional structure that allows them to recognize a particular target with high affinity. Although their specific recognition activity could make them similar to monoclonal antibodies, their ability to bind to a large range of non-immunogenic targets greatly expands their potential as tools for diagnosis, therapeutic agents, detection of food risks, biosensors, detection of toxins, drug carriers, and nanoparticle markers, among others. One aptamer named Pegaptanib is currently used for treating macular degeneration associated with age, and many other aptamers are in different clinical stages of development of evaluation for various human diseases. In the area of parasitology, research on aptamers has been growing rapidly in the past few years. Here we describe the development of aptamers raised against the main protozoan parasites that affect hundreds of millions of people in underdeveloped and developing countries, remaining a major health concern worldwide, i.e. Trypanosoma spp., Plasmodium spp., Leishmania spp., Entamoeba histolytica, and Cryptosporidium parvuum. The latest progress made in this area confirmed that DNA and RNA aptamers represent attractive alternative molecules in the search for new tools to detect and treat these parasitic infections that affect human health worldwide.

Targeting the polyadenylation factor EhCFIm25 with RNA aptamers controls survival in Entamoeba histolytica

Messenger RNA 3'-end polyadenylation is an important regulator of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. In our search for new ways of treating parasitic infectious diseases, we looked at whether or not alterations in polyadenylation might control the survival of Entamoeba histolytica (the agent of amoebiasis in humans). We used molecular biology and computational tools to characterize the mRNA cleavage factor EhCFIm25, which is essential for polyadenylation in E. histolytica. By using a strategy based on the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment, we identified single-stranded RNA aptamers that target EhCFIm25. The results of RNA-protein binding assays showed that EhCFIm25 binds to the GUUG motif in vitro, which differs from the UGUA motif bound by the homologous human protein. Accordingly, docking experiments and molecular dynamic simulations confirmed that interaction with GUUG stabilizes EhCFIm25. Incubating E. histolytica trophozoites with selected aptamers inhibited parasite proliferation and rapidly led to cell death. Overall, our data indicate that targeting EhCFIm25 is an effective way of limiting the growth of E. histolytica in vitro. The present study is the first to have highlighted the potential value of RNA aptamers for controlling this human pathogen.

Chemical modification improves the stability of the DNA aptamer GBI-10 and its affinity towards tenascin-C

Aptamers are useful tools in molecular imaging due to their numerous attractive properties, such as excellent affinity and selectivity to diverse types of target molecules and biocompatibility. We carried out structure-activity relationship studies with the tenascin-C (TN-C) binding aptamer GBI-10, which is a promising candidate in tumor imaging. To increase the tumor targeting ability and nuclease resistance under physiological conditions, systematic modifications of GBI-10 with single and multiple 2'-deoxyinosine (2'-dI) or d-/l-isonucleoside (d-/l-isoNA) were performed. Results indicated that sector 3 of the proposed secondary structure is the most important region for specific binding with TN-C. By correlating the affinity of eighty-four GBI-10 derivatives with their predicted secondary structure by Zuker Mfold, we first validated the preferred secondary structure at 37 °C. We found that d-/l-isoNA modified GBI-10 derivatives exhibited improved affinity to the target as well as plasma stability. Affinity measurement and confocal imaging analysis highlighted one potent compound: 4A_L/26T_L/32T_L, which possessed a significantly increased targeting ability to tumor cells. These results revealed the types of modified nucleotides, and the position and number of substituents in GBI-10 that were critical to the TN-C binding ability. Stabilized TN-C-binding DNA aptamers were prepared and they could be further developed for tumor imaging. Our strategy to introduce 2'-dI and d-/l-isoNA modifications after the selection process is likely to be generally applicable to improve the in vivo stability of aptamers without compromising their binding ability.

Aptamers as a promising approach for the control of parasitic diseases

Aptamers are short single-stranded RNA or DNA oligonucleotides that are capable of binding various biological targets with high affinity and specificity. Their identification initially relies on a molecular process named SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) that has been later modified in order to improve aptamer sensitivity, minimize duration and cost of the assay, as well as increase target types. Several biochemical modifications can help to enhance aptamer stability without affecting significantly target interaction. As a result, aptamers have generated a large interest as promising tools to compete with monoclonal antibodies for detection and inhibition of specific markers of human diseases. One aptamer-based drug is currently authorized and several others are being clinically evaluated. Despite advances in the knowledge of parasite biology and host–parasite interactions from “omics” data, protozoan parasites still affect millions of people around the world and there is an urgent need for drug target discovery and novel therapeutic concepts. In this context, aptamers represent promising tools for pathogen identification and control. Recent studies have reported the identification of “aptasensors” for parasite diagnosis, and “intramers” targeting intracellular proteins. Here we discuss various strategies that have been employed for intracellular expression of aptamers and expansion of their possible application, and propose that they may be suitable for the clinical use of aptamers in parasitic infections.

Modern affinity reagents: Recombinant antibodies and aptamers

Affinity reagents are essential tools in both basic and applied research; however, there is a growing concern about the reproducibility of animal-derived monoclonal antibodies. The need for higher quality affinity reagents has prompted the development of methods that provide scientific, economic, and time-saving advantages and do not require the use of animals. This review describes two types of affinity reagents, recombinant antibodies and aptamers, which are non-animal technologies that can replace the use of animal-derived monoclonal antibodies. Recombinant antibodies are protein-based reagents, while aptamers are nucleic-acid-based. In light of the scientific advantages of these technologies, this review also discusses ways to gain momentum in the use of modern affinity reagents, including an update to the 1999 National Academy of Sciences monoclonal antibody production report and federal incentives for recombinant antibody and aptamer efforts. In the long-term, these efforts have the potential to improve the overall quality and decrease the cost of scientific research.

Molecular and Functional Characterization of ssDNA Aptamers that Specifically Bind Leishmania infantum PABP

SUMMARY

A poly (A)-binding protein from Leishmania infantum (LiPABP) has been recently cloned and characterized in our laboratory. Although this protein shows a very high homology with PABPs from other eukaryotic organisms including mammals and other parasites, exist divergences along the sequence that convert them in potential diagnostic markers and/or therapeutics targets. Aptamers are oligonucleotide ligands that are selected in vitro by their affinity and specificity for the target as a consequence of the particular tertiary structure that they are able to acquire depending on their sequence. Development of high-affinity molecules with the ability to recognize specifically Leishmania proteins is essential for the progress of this kind of study.

RESULTS

We have selected a ssDNA aptamer population against a recombinant 6xHIS-LiPABP protein (rLiPABP) that is able to recognize the target with a low Kd. Cloning, sequencing and in silico analysis of the aptamers obtained from the population yielded three aptamers (ApPABP#3, ApPABP#7 and ApPABP#11) that significantly bound to PABP with higher affinity than the naïve population. These aptamers were analyzed by ELONA and slot blot to establish affinity and specificity for rLiPABP. Results demonstrated that the three aptamers have high affinity and specificity for the target and that they are able to detect an endogenous LiPABP (eLiPABP) protein amount corresponding to 2500 L. infantum promastigotes in a significant manner. The functional analysis of the aptamers also revealed that ApPABP#11 disrupts the binding of both Myc-LiPABP and eLiPABP to poly (A) in vitro. On the other hand, these aptamers are able to bind and purify LiPABP from complex mixes.

CONCLUSION

Results presented here demonstrate that aptamers represent new reagents for characterization of LiPABP and that they can affect LiPABP activity. At this respect, the use of these aptamers as therapeutic tool affecting the physiological role of PABP has to be analyzed.

Development of a fluorescent enzyme-linked DNA aptamer-magnetic bead sandwich assay and portable fluorometer for sensitive and rapid leishmania detection in sandflies

A fluorescent peroxidase-linked DNA aptamer-magnetic bead sandwich assay is described which detects as little as 100 ng of soluble protein extracted from Leishmania major promastigotes with a high molarity chaotropic salt. Lessons learned during development of the assay are described and elucidate the pros and cons of using fluorescent dyes or nanoparticles and quantum dots versus a more consistent peroxidase-linked Amplex Ultra Red (AUR; similar to resazurin) fluorescence version of the assay. While all versions of the assays were highly sensitive, the AUR-based version exhibited lower variability between tests. We hypothesize that the AUR version of this assay is more consistent, especially at low analyte levels, because the fluorescent product of AUR is liberated into bulk solution and readily detectable while fluorophores attached to the reporter aptamer might occasionally be hidden behind magnetic beads near the detection limit. Conversely, fluorophores could be quenched by nearby beads or other proximal fluorophores on the high end of analyte concentration, if packed into a small area after magnetic collection when an enzyme-linked system is not used. A highly portable and rechargeable battery-operated fluorometer with on board computer and color touchscreen is also described which can be used for rapid (<1 h) and sensitive detection of Leishmania promastigote protein extracts (∼ 100 ng per sample) in buffer or sandfly homogenates for mapping of L. major parasite geographic distributions in wild sandfly populations.

Selection of binding targets in parasites using phage-display and aptamer libraries in vivo and in vitro

Parasite infections are largely dependent on interactions between pathogen and different host cell populations to guarantee a successful infectious process. This is particularly true for obligatory intracellular parasites as Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, and Leishmania, to name a few. Adhesion to and entry into the cell are essential steps requiring specific parasite and host cell molecules. The large amount of possible involved molecules poses additional difficulties for their identification by the classical biochemical approaches. In this respect, the search for alternative techniques should be pursued. Among them two powerful methodologies can be employed, both relying upon the construction of highly diverse combinatorial libraries of peptides or oligonucleotides that randomly bind with high affinity to targets on the cell surface and are selectively displaced by putative ligands. These are, respectively, the peptide-based phage display and the oligonucleotide-based aptamer techniques. The phage display technique has been extensively employed for the identification of novel ligands in vitro and in vivo in different areas such as cancer, vaccine development, and epitope mapping. Particularly, phage display has been employed in the investigation of pathogen–host interactions. Although this methodology has been used for some parasites with encouraging results, in trypanosomatids its use is, as yet, scanty. RNA and DNA aptamers, developed by the SELEX process (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment), were described over two decades ago and since then contributed to a large number of structured nucleic acids for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes or for the understanding of the cell biology. Similarly to the phage display technique scarce use of the SELEX process has been used in the probing of parasite–host interaction. In this review, an overall survey on the use of both phage display and aptamer technologies in different pathogenic organisms will be discussed. Using these techniques, recent results on the interaction of Trypanosoma cruzi with the host will be highlighted focusing on members of the 85 kDa protein family, a subset of the gp85/TS superfamily.

DNA aptamers selectively target Leishmania infantum H2A protein

Parasites of the genus Leishmania produce leishmaniasis which affects millions people around the world. Understanding the molecular characteristics of the parasite can increase the knowledge about the mechanisms underlying disease development and progression. Thus, the study of the molecular features of histones has been considered of particular interest because Leishmania does not condense the chromatin during mitosis and, consequently, a different role for these proteins in the biology of the parasite can be expected. Furthermore, the sequence divergences in the amino and in the carboxy-terminal domains of the kinetoplastid core histones convert them in potential diagnostic and/or therapeutics targets. Aptamers are oligonucleotide ligands that are selected in vitro by their affinity and specificity for the target as a consequence of the particular tertiary structure that they are able to acquire depending on their sequence. Development of high-affinity molecules with the ability to recognize specifically Leishmania histones is essential for the progress of this kind of study. Two aptamers which specifically recognize Leishmania infantum H2A histone were cloned from a previously obtained ssDNA enriched population. These aptamers were sequenced and subjected to an in silico analysis. ELONA, slot blot and Western blot were performed to establish aptamer affinity and specificity for LiH2A histone and ELONA assays using peptides corresponding to overlapped sequences of LiH2A were made mapping the aptamers:LiH2A interaction. As "proofs of concept", aptamers were used to determine the number of parasites in an ELONA platform and to purify LiH2A from complex mixtures. The aptamers showed different secondary structures among them; however, both of them were able to recognize the same peptides located in a side of the protein. In addition, we demonstrate that these aptamers are useful for LiH2A identification and also may be of potential application as diagnostic system and as a laboratory tool with purification purpose.

Cotinine-conjugated aptamer/anti-cotinine antibody complexes as a novel affinity unit for use in biological assays

Aptamers are synthetic, relatively short (e.g., 20-80 bases) RNA or ssDNA oligonucleotides that can bind targets with high affinity and specificity, similar to antibodies, because they can fold into unique, three-dimensional shapes. For use in various assays and experiments, aptamers have been conjugated with biotin or digoxigenin to form complexes with avidin or anti-digoxigenin antibodies, respectively. In this study, we developed a method to label the 5' ends of aptamers with cotinine, which allows formation of a stable complex with anti-cotinine antibodies for the purpose of providing another affinity unit for the application in biological assays using aptamers. To demonstrate the functionality of this affinity unit in biological assays, we utilized two well-known aptamers: AS1411, which binds nucleolin, and pegaptanib, which binds vascular endothelial growth factor. Cotinine-conjugated AS1411/ anti-cotinine antibody complexes were successfully applied to immunoblot, immunoprecipitation, and flow cytometric analyses, and cotinine-conjugated pegaptanib/ anti-cotinine antibody complexes were used successfully in enzyme immunoassays. Our results show that cotinine-conjugated aptamer/anti-cotinine antibody complexes are an effective alternative and complementary technique for aptamer use in multiple assays and experiments.

Parasite-specific aptamers as biosynthetic reagents and potential pharmaceuticals

Aptamers are short, synthetic nucleic acid molecules. They are generated by a Darwinian-type in vitro evolution method known as 'systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment' (SELEX). SELEX represents an experimental platform to identify rare ligands with predetermined functionality from combinatorial nucleic acid libraries. Since its discovery about 20 years ago the method has been instrumental in identifying a large number of aptamers that recognize targets of very different chemistry and molecular complexity. Although aptamers have been converted into sophisticated biomolecular tools for a diverse set of technologies, only a limited number of aptamers have been selected as binding reagents for parasites or parasite-derived molecules. Here the published examples of aptamers that target Leishmania-, Trypanosoma- and Plasmodia-specific molecules are reviewed.

Aptamers can discriminate alkaline proteins with high specificity

Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids that fold into stable three-dimensional structures with ligand binding sites that are complementary in shape and charge to a desired target. Aptamers are generated by an iterative process known as in vitro selection, which permits their isolation from pools of random sequences. While aptamers have been selected to bind a wide range of targets, it is generally thought that these molecules are incapable of discriminating strongly alkaline proteins due to the attractive forces that govern oppositely charged polymers (e.g., polyelectrolyte effect). Histones, eukaryotic proteins that make up the core structure of nucleosomes are attractive targets for exploring the binding properties of aptamers because these proteins have positively charged surfaces that bind DNA through noncovalent sequence-independent interactions. Previous selections by our lab and others have yielded DNA aptamers with high affinity but low specificity to individual histone proteins. Whether this is a general limitation of aptamers is an interesting question with important practical implications in the future development of protein affinity reagents. Here we report the in vitro selection of a DNA aptamer that binds to histone H4 with a K(d) of 13 nM and distinguishes other core histone proteins with 100 to 480-fold selectivity, which corresponds to a ΔΔG of up to 3.4 kcal mol(-1) . This result extends our fundamental understanding of aptamers and their ability to fold into shapes that selectively bind alkaline proteins.