Yüzeye Modifiye Edilen Aptamer Uç Gruplarının Aptamer-Protein Etkileşimlerine Etkisinin Kütle Spektrometresi Ile Incelenmesi

Abstract

Aptamers are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) chains that can be synthesized with different properties and bind to target molecules (i.e., proteins, enzymes, viruses and hormones) with very high selectivity. Aptamers are widely known as a substitute for antibodies, because they overcome the weaknesses of antibodies. Aptamers are selected from single stranded DNA or RNA molecules made of natural nucleotides. To increase functionality and affinity of aptamers in diverse bioanalytical applications, aptamers have been modified by different functional groups (i.e. -NH2, -SH etc.) from different parts such as 5 and 3 -terminus. Aptamers can be used as a biomarker for the detection of proteins at very low levels in biological samples and provide isolation of targeted molecules from the complex protein mixtures.In the scope of this thesis, the effects of surface modified aptamer end groups on aptamer protein interactions are investigated.