Modified Nucleoside Triphosphates for In-vitro Selection Techniques

M. DELLAFIORE; J. MONTSERRAT; A. IRIBARREN

Frontiers in Chemistry

Frontiers

Lugar: Lausanne; Año: 2016 vol. 4

The development of SELEX (Selective Enhancement of Ligands by ExponentialEnrichment) provides a powerful tool for the search of functional oligonucleotides withthe ability to bind ligands with high affinity and selectivity (aptamers) and for the discoveryof nucleic acid sequences with diverse enzymatic activities (ribozymes and DNAzymes).This technique has been extensively applied to the selection of natural DNA or RNAmolecules but, in order to improve chemical and structural diversity as well as forparticular applications where further chemical or biological stability is necessary, theextension of this strategy to modified oligonucleotides is desirable. Taking into accountthese needs, this review intends to collect the research carried out during the past years,focusing mainly on the use of modified nucleotides in SELEX and the developmentof mutant enzymes for broadening nucleoside triphosphates acceptance. In addition,comments regarding the synthesis of modified nucleoside triphosphate will be brieflydiscussed.