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. 2000 Apr;6(4):520–527. doi: 10.1017/s1355838200991763

Molecular recognition of amino acids by RNA aptamers: the evolution into an L-tyrosine binder of a dopamine-binding RNA motif.

C Mannironi 1, C Scerch 1, P Fruscoloni 1, G P Tocchini-Valentini 1
PMCID: PMC1369933  PMID: 10786843

Abstract

We report the evolution of an RNA aptamer to change its binding specificity. RNA aptamers that bind the free amino acid tyrosine were in vitro selected from a degenerate pool derived from a previously selected dopamine aptamer. Three independent sequences bind tyrosine in solution, the winner of the selection binding with a dissociation constant of 35 microM. Competitive affinity chromatography with tyrosine-related ligands indicated that the selected aptamers are highly L-stereo selective and also recognize L-tryptophan and L-dopa with similar affinity. The binding site was localized by sequence comparison, analysis of minimal boundaries, and structural probing upon ligand binding. Tyrosine-binding sites are characterized by the presence of both tyrosine (UAU and UAC) and termination (UAG and UAA) triplets.

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Selected References

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