Team:Washington/Aptamer

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Aptazyme Background

An aptamer is a single strand of RNA which folds into a structure that is able to bind to a variety of small molecules and proteins. Ribozymes are in some contexts self-cleaving pieces of RNA whih can be utilized to destabilize RNA transcripts. Aptazymes are a combination of both aptamers and ribozymes. Putting these components together allows for the selectivity of aptamers which in turn results in the activity of the ribozyme section of the RNA. Overall this is a reactive strand of RNA with selectivity. Additionally, aptazymes can control protein expression at the level of translation. This allows for quicker response times compared to the traditional method of modifying rates of transcription through interactions with promoters. Theophylline is commonly used target molecule for academic studies on aptamers due to its ability to permeate membranes.

Design and Methods

Since we thought yeast would be a better implementation on paper, our original concept was to utilize an aptazyme sequence that was contributed by the Smolke lab that we found was highly functional in yeast. Utilizing Venus, an optimized form of a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), a Yeast GPD Promoter, and two pieces of the pmod plasmid and terminator.

Results

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Conclusion

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Future Directions

Given that the aptazyme is a model system instead of actually selecting for specific toxins, the next step would be to create aptamers that select for the toxins of interest. Most likely, the selection process would follow evolution based methods (Goler et al., 2014) to optimize a sequence of RNA that would react with the selected molecules. However, this lengthy process does not guarantee results in a set timeframe which is why this portion of the project was not undertaken over the summer. There are multiple methods to improve the user friendliness. One route to take would be to lower the basal expression levels or increase the expression levels of YFP when the theophylline/toxin is present. A method we are undertaking that will not produce results in time for the wiki is the inclusion of additional aptazyme copies on the RNA (Wei et al, 2013; Win and Smolke, 2008) which should decrease the basal level of expression resulting in a greater proportion between active and basal expression. Another method to improve user friendliness would be to create more instantaneous colorimetric switches. A classic example is the creation of RNA-based cocaine sensors (Stojanovic et al., 2001). These sensors should provide feedback to the presence of toxins at a much faster rate than the aptazyme system in yeast. Additionally, the development of better colorimetric and fluorescent probes such as Spinach allow for more robust responses in these systems.

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