Aptamers for CD Antigens: From Cell Profiling to Activity Modulation

Amin Nozari; Maxim V Berezovski

doi:10.1016/j.omtn.2016.12.002

Aptamers for CD Antigens: From Cell Profiling to Activity Modulation

Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2017 Mar 17:6:29-44. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2016.12.002. Epub 2016 Dec 10.

Authors

Amin Nozari¹, Maxim V Berezovski²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N6N5, Canada.
² Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N6N5, Canada. Electronic address: maxim.berezovski@uottawa.ca.

Abstract

Nucleic acid-based aptamers are considered to be a promising alternative to antibodies because of their strong and specific binding to diverse targets, fast and inexpensive chemical synthesis, and easy labeling with a fluorescent dye or therapeutic agent. Cluster of differentiation (CD) proteins are among the most popular antigens for aptamers on the cell surface. These anti-CD aptamers could be used in cell biology and biomedicine, from simple cell phenotyping by flow cytometry or fluorescent microscopy to diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS to cancer and immune therapies. The unique feature of aptamers is that they can act simultaneously as an agonist and antagonist of CD receptors depending on a degree of aptamer oligomerization. Aptamers can also deliver small interfering RNA to silence vital genes in CD-positive cells. In this review, we summarize nucleic acid sequences of anti-CD aptamers and their use, which have been validated in multiple studies.

Keywords: aptamers; cell imaging; cluster of differentiation; drug delivery; siRNA.

Publication types

Review