Evolution of Nucleic Acid Aptamers Capable of SpecificallyTargeting Glioma Stem Cells via Cell-SELEX

Glioma stem cells (GSCs), a particular group of cells from gliomas, are capable of infinite proliferation and differentiation. Recent studies have shown that GSCs may be the root of tumor recurrence, metastasis, and resistance. Early detection and targeted therapy of GSCs may significantly improve the survival rate of glioma patients. Therefore, molecular ligands capable of selectively recognizing GCSs are of great importance. In this work, we have successfully generated a group of DNA aptamers that specifically recognized GSCs via Cell-SELEX technology. Among these aptamers, W5 has the best affinity and specificity for target cells, with a Kd value of 4.9 ± 1.4 nM. By further optimizing the sequence, an optimized aptamer W5-7 maintained the same binding ability and specificity to GSCs as W5. Binding analysis revealed that W5-7 has good specificity against glioma stem cells, compared to negative target cells and several other types of metastatic cancer cells. Further examination of binding affinity under ...