Polymerase engineering: towards the encoded synthesis of unnatural biopolymers

2009 ◽  
pp. 4619 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Loakes ◽  
Philipp Holliger
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Engineering

scholarly journals In Vitro Selection of an ATP-Binding TNA Aptamer

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (18) ◽  
pp. 4194
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
John C. Chaput
Keyword(s):  
In Vitro Selection ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Atp Binding ◽  
Biological Stability ◽  
Protein Targets ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Nuclease Digestion ◽  
Polymerase Engineering ◽  
Threose Nucleic Acid

Recent advances in polymerase engineering have made it possible to isolate aptamers from libraries of synthetic genetic polymers (XNAs) with backbone structures that are distinct from those found in nature. However, nearly all of the XNA aptamers produced thus far have been generated against protein targets, raising significant questions about the ability of XNA aptamers to recognize small molecule targets. Here, we report the evolution of an ATP-binding aptamer composed entirely of α-L-threose nucleic acid (TNA). A chemically synthesized version of the best aptamer sequence shows high affinity to ATP and strong specificity against other naturally occurring ribonucleotide triphosphates. Unlike its DNA and RNA counterparts that are susceptible to nuclease digestion, the ATP-binding TNA aptamer exhibits high biological stability against hydrolytic enzymes that rapidly degrade DNA and RNA. Based on these findings, we suggest that TNA aptamers could find widespread use as molecular recognition elements in diagnostic and therapeutic applications that require high biological stability.

scholarly journals Exploring the Chemistry of Genetic Information Storage and Propagation through Polymerase Engineering

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1079-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian Houlihan ◽  
Sebastian Arangundy-Franklin ◽  
Philipp Holliger
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Information ◽  
Information Storage ◽  
Polymerase Engineering
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