ITC Measurement for High-Affinity Aptamers Binding to Their Target Proteins

Abstract

Aptamers are nucleic acid molecules that bind to a target molecule with high affinity and specificity, which are generated by a process known as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Because of their high affinity and specificity, aptamers were developed as therapeutic agents. Although aptamers are investigated as promising therapeutic agents, the mechanism of their high affinity and specificity is not clear. Therefore, structural and biophysical studies are important to know that. To date, ITC is increasingly being used to study the thermodynamic basis of aptamer–target protein interactions. Understanding the mechanism of aptamer binding would contribute to their development for therapeutic applications. In this chapter, we describe the protocol to study the thermodynamics of aptamer–protein interactions.