After the deciphering of the human genome and the genomes of many other organisms, the investigation of the function of gene products and their orchestral interplay is now one of the most important challenges in the life sciences. In "Nucleic Acid and Peptide Aptamers: Methods and Protocols", expert researchers contribute state-of-the-art methods focused on these two vital molecule types which are so often employed for in vitro selection procedures. Divided conveniently into two distinct parts beginning with nucleic acid aptamers and ending with peptide aptamers, the volume provides methodologies for the isolation, characterization, and application of both types. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology¿ series format, all chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and Notes sections, which highlight tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Cutting-edge and easy to use, "Nucleic Acid and Peptide Aptamers: Methods and Protocols" will provide researchers with an inspiring and helpful guide to the application of these compounds to their own distinct research issues.

Provides an easily accessible reference volume for in vitro selection procedures written by leading researchers in the field

Part I.) Nucleic Acid Aptamers 1. Nucleic Acid Pool Preparation and Characterization Shawn K. Piasecki, Bradley Hall, and Andrew D. Ellington 2. In vitro Selection of ssDNA Aptamers Using Biotinylated Target Proteins Günter Mayer and Thomas Höver 3. Isolating Aptamers Using Capillary Electrophoresis-SELEX (CE-SELEX) Renee Mosing and Michael T. Bowser 4. In vitro Selection of Allosteric Ribozymes Nicolas Piganeau 5. Cell-Specific Aptamers for Targeted Therapies Laura Cerchia, Paloma H. Giangrande, James O. McNamara, and Vittorio de Franciscis 6. Aptamers Targeting RNA Molecules Marguerite Watrin, Eric Dausse, Isabelle Lebars, Bernard Rayner, Anthony Bugaut, and Jean-Jaques Toulmé 7. Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) Based Characterization of Aptamer Ligand Interaction Arne Werner and Uli Hahn 8. Structural Probing Techniques on Natural Aptamers Catherine A. Wakeman and Wade C. Winkler 9. Determining Structures of RNA Aptamers and Riboswitches by X-Ray Crystallography Andrea L. Edwards, Andrew D. Garst, and Robert T. Batey 10. Locked Nucleic Acid Aptamers Jan Barciszewski, Michael Medgaard, Troels Koch, Jens Kurreck, and Volker A. Erdmann 11. Screening of Novel Inhibitors of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase with a Reporter Ribozyme Assay Satoko Yamazaki and Michael Famulok 12. Aptamers as Artificial Gene Regulation Elements Beatrix Suess and Julia E. Weigand 13. Aptamers and Biosensors Thomas M. A. Gronewold 14. Nanoparticles/Dip Stick Yi Lu, Juewen Liu, and Debapriya Mazumdar 15. In vivo Imaging of Oligonucleotidic Aptamers Bertrand Tavitian, Frédéric Ducongé,Raphaël Boisgard and Frédéric Dollé Tavitian Part II.) Peptide Aptamers 16. Selection of Peptides Interfering with Protein-Protein Interaction Annette Gaida, Urs B. Hagemann, Dinah Mattay, Christina Räuber, Kristian M. Müller, and Katja M. Arndt 17. In Vitro Selection of Protein and Peptide Libraries Using mRNA Display Terry T. Takahashi and Richard W. Roberts 18. Ligand-Regulated Peptide Aptamers Russell A. Miller 19. Isolation of Peptide Aptamers to Target Protein Function Luisa Lopez-Ochoa, Tara E. Nash, Jorge Ramirez-Prado, and Linda Hanley-Bowdoin 20. Microbodies¿ Hans-Ulrich Schmoldt, Matin Daneschdar, Harald Kolmar, and Michael Blind 21. Peptide Aptamers for Small Molecule Drug Discovery Carine Bardou, Christophe Borie, Marc Bickle, Brian B. Rudkin, and Pierre Colas 22. Synthesis and Application of Peptides as Drug Carriers Robert Rennert, Ines Neundorf, and Annette G. Beck-Sickinger