Aptamer, 適體

(Source：Wikipedia) (存參)

Aptamer, 適體 (源自拉丁文「aptus」表示」適合」的意思,和希臘文「meros」表示」部位」的意思)是指與特定的目標分子結合的寡聚核酸或是 肽鏈。適體常常從大量的隨機序列被挑選出來,但自然的適體依舊存在如核糖開關中。適體可以用在學術研究亦可以當作大分子藥物應用在臨床診斷上。在適體的目標分子存在的情況下，適體能與核酶結合並進行自我剪切的動作，這些複合物能應用在研究、工業與臨床診斷上。

有高度專一性的適體能如下分類:

• DNA or RNA or XNA構成的適體(適體核酸);由寡核酸構成。
• 肽鏈構成的適體(適體肽鏈);由可變的多肽區域與蛋白質的兩端結合而成。

Aptamers (from the Latin aptus - fit, and Greek meros - part) are oligonucleotide or peptide molecules that bind to a specific target molecule. Aptamers are usually created by selecting them from a large random sequence pool, but natural aptamers also exist in riboswitches. Aptamers can be used for both basic research and clinical purposes as macromolecular drugs. Aptamers can be combined with ribozymes to self-cleave in the presence of their target molecule. These compound molecules have additional research, industrial and clinical applications.

More specifically, aptamers can be classified as:

• DNA or RNA or XNA aptamers. They consist of (usually short) strands of oligonucleotides.
• Peptide aptamers. They consist of one (or more) short variable peptide domains, attached at both ends to a protein scaffold.