Generation of an RNA aptamer against LipL32 of Leptospira isolated by Tripartite-hybrid SELEX coupled with in-house Python-aided unbiased data sorting

Abstract

Leptospirosis is a potentially life-threatening zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira. The major hurdle of the diagnosis of Leptospirosis lies in the issues associated with current methods of detection, which are time-consuming, tedious and the need for sophisticated, special equipments. Restrategizing the diagnostics of Leptospirosis may involve considerations of the direct detection of the outer membrane protein, which can be faster, cost-saving and require fewer equipments. One such promising marker is LipL32, which is an antigen with high amino acid sequence conservation among all the pathogenic strains. In this study, we endeavored to isolate an aptamer against LipL32 protein via a modified SELEX strategy known as tripartite-hybrid SELEX, based on 3 different partitioning strategies. In this study, we also demonstrated the deconvolution of the candidate aptamers by using in-house Python-aided unbiased data sorting in examining multiple parameters to isolate potent aptamers. We have successfully generated an RNA aptamer against LipL32 of Leptospira, LepRapt-11, which is applicable in a simple direct ELASA for the detection of LipL32. LepRapt-11 can be a promising molecular recognition element for the diagnosis of leptospirosis by targeting LipL32.

Keywords: LipL32; RNA aptamer; Tripartite-hybrid SELEX.