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Spondyloarthritis (SpA) encompasses a group of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases with a predilection for the spinal and sacroiliac joints, which include axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, arthritis associated with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis. The prevalence of SpA in the population varies from 0.5 to 2%, most commonly affecting young people. Spondyloarthritis pathogenesis is related to the hyperproduction of proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-17A, IL-23, etc.). IL-17A plays a key role in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (inflammation maintenance, syndesmophites formation and radiographic progression, enthesites and anterior uveitis development, etc.). Targeted anti-IL17 therapies have established themselves as the most efficient therapies in SpA treatment. The present review summarizes literature data on the role of the IL-17 family in the pathogenesis of SpA and analyzes existing therapeutic strategies for IL-17 suppression with monoclonal antibodies and Janus kinase inhibitors. We also consider alternative targeted strategies, such as the use of other small-molecule inhibitors, therapeutic nucleic acids, or affibodies. We discuss advantages and pitfalls of these approaches and the future prospects of each method.

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Immunoassays based on antibodies as recognizing elements and enzymes as signal-generating modules are extensively used now in clinical lab diagnostics, food, and environmental analyses. However, the application of natural enzymes and antibodies has some drawbacks, such as relatively high manufacturing costs, thermal instability, and lot-to-lot variations that lower the reproducibility of results. Oligonucleotide aptamers are able to specifically bind their targets with high affinity and selectivity, so they represent a prospective alternative to protein antibodies for analyte recognition. Their main advantages include thermal stability and long shelf life, cost-efficient chemical synthesis, and negligible batch-to-batch variations. At the same time, a wide variety of non-protein peroxidase mimics are now available that show strong potential to replace protein enzymes. Here, we review and analyze non-protein biosensors that represent a nexus of these two concepts: aptamer-based sensors (aptasensors) with optical detection (colorimetric, luminescent, or fluorescent) based on different peroxidase mimics, such as DNAzymes, nanoparticles, or metal-organic frameworks.

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Clinical diagnostics for human diseases rely largely on enzyme immunoassays for the detection of blood biomarkers. Nevertheless, antibody-based test systems have a number of shortcomings that have stimulated a search for alternative diagnostic assays. Oligonucleotide aptamers are now considered as promising molecular recognizing elements for biosensors (aptasensors) due to their high affinity and specificity of target binding. At the moment, a huge variety of aptasensors have been engineered for the detection of various analytes, especially disease biomarkers. However, despite their great potential and excellent characteristics in model systems, only a few of these aptamer-based assays have been translated into practice as diagnostic kits. Here, we will review the current progress in the engineering of aptamer-based colorimetric assays as the most suitable format for clinical lab diagnostics. In particular, we will focus on aptasensors for the detection of blood biomarkers of cardiovascular, malignant, and neurodegenerative diseases along with common inflammation biomarkers. We will also analyze the main obstacles that have to be overcome before aptamer test systems can become tantamount to ELISA for clinical diagnosis purposes.

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Among the great variety of anti-cancer therapeutic strategies, boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) represents a unique approach that doubles the targeting accuracy due to the precise positioning of a neutron beam and the addressed delivery of boron compounds. We have recently demonstrated the principal possibility of using a cell-specific 2'-F-RNA aptamer for the targeted delivery of boron clusters for BNCT. In the present study, we evaluated the amount of boron-loaded aptamer inside the cell via two independent methods: quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and inductive coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Both assays showed that the internalized boron level inside the cell exceeds 1 × 109 atoms/cell. We have synthesized closo-dodecaborate conjugates of 2'-F-RNA aptamers GL44 and Waz, with boron clusters attached either at the 3'- or at the 5'-end. The influence of cluster localization was evaluated in BNCT experiments on U-87 MG human glioblastoma cells and normal fibroblasts and subsequent analyses of cell viability via real-time cell monitoring and clonogenic assay. Both conjugates of GL44 aptamer provided a specific decrease in cell viability, while only the 3'-conjugate of the Waz aptamer showed the same effect. Thus, an individual adjustment of boron cluster localization is required for each aptamer. The efficacy of boron-loaded 2'-F-RNA conjugates was comparable to that of 10B-boronophenylalanine, so this type of boron delivery agent has good potential for BNCT due to such benefits as precise targeting, low toxicity and the possibility to use boron clusters made of natural, unenriched boron.

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Nucleic acid aptamers capable of affine and specific binding to their molecular targets have now established themselves as a very promising alternative to monoclonal antibodies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Although the main focus in aptamers' research and development for biomedicine is made on cardiovascular, infectious, and malignant diseases, the use of aptamers as therapeutic or diagnostic tools in the context of rheumatic diseases is no less important. In this review, we consider the main features of aptamers that make them valuable molecular tools for rheumatologists, and summarize the studies on the selection and application of aptamers for protein biomarkers associated with rheumatic diseases. We discuss the progress in the development of aptamer-based diagnostic assays and targeted therapeutics for rheumatic disorders, future prospects in the field, and issues that have yet to be addressed.

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Biosensors that rely on aptamers as analyte-recognizing elements (also known as aptasensors) are gaining in popularity during recent years for analytical and biomedical applications. Among them, colorimetric ELISA-like systems seem very promising for biomarker detection in medical diagnostics. For their development, one should thoroughly consider the characteristics of the aptamers, with a particular focus on the secondary structure. In this study, we performed an in-depth structural study of previously selected hemoglobin-binding 2'-F-RNA aptamers using CD spectroscopy, enzymatic probing, and specific fluorophore binding. Only a combination of different assays allowed us to prove G-quadruplex formation for anti-hemoglobin 2'-F-RNA aptamers. We also demonstrated a possible application of these 2'-F-RNA aptamers for microplate colorimetric detection of human hemoglobin in both direct and sandwich formats.

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We report a novel bioluminescent aptasensor, which consists of 2'-F-RNA aptamer modules joined into a bi-specific aptamer construct. One aptamer module binds the analyte, then after structural rearrangement the second module recruits non-covalently Ca2+-dependent photoprotein obelin from the solution, thus providing a bioluminescent signal. This concept allows using free protein as a reporter, which brings such advantages as no need for aptamer-protein conjugation, a possibility of thermal re-folding of aptamer component with no harm to a protein, and simpler detection protocol. We developed the new 2'-F-RNA aptamer for obelin, and proposed the strategy for engineering structure-switching bi-modular aptamer constructs which bind the analyte and the obelin in a sequential manner. With the use of hemoglobin as a model analyte, we showed the feasibility of utilizing the aptasensor in a fast and straightforward bioluminescent microplate assay. With a proper design of a secondary structure, this strategy of aptasensor engineering might be further extended to bi-specific aptamer-based bioluminescent sensors for other analytes of interest.

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Novel alternatives to traditional antibiotics are now of great demand for the successful treatment of microbial infections. Here, we present the engineering and properties of new oligonucleotide inhibitors of RNase P, an essential bacterial enzyme. The series of 2'-O-methyl RNA (2'-OMe-RNA) and phosphoryl guanidine oligonucleotides were targeted to the substrate-binding region of M1 RNA subunit of the RNase P. Uniformly modified 2'-OMe RNA and selectively modified phosphoryl guanidine oligonucleotides possessed good stability in biological media and effectively inhibited RNase P. Their conjugates with transporting peptides were shown to penetrate bacterial cells (Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii) and inhibit bacterial growth.

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Aptamers are short DNA and RNA fragments which bind their molecular targets with affinity and specificity comparable to those of antibodies. Here, we describe the selection of novel 2'-F-RNA aptamers against total human hemoglobin or its glycated form HbA1c. After SELEX and high-throughput sequencing of the enriched libraries, affinities and specificities of candidate aptamers and their truncated variants were examined by the solid-phase bioluminescent assay. As a result, we identified aptamers specific to both hemoglobins or only glycated HbA1c. The developed 2'-F-RNA aptamers have shown their applicability for detection of total and glycated hemoglobin in one sample.

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Nucleic acid aptamers capable of selectively recognizing their target molecules have nowadays been established as powerful and tunable tools for biospecific applications, be it therapeutics, drug delivery systems or biosensors. It is now generally acknowledged that in vitro selection enables one to generate aptamers to almost any target of interest. However, the success of selection and the affinity of the resulting aptamers depend to a large extent on the nature and design of an initial random nucleic acid library. In this review, we summarize and discuss the most important features of the design of nucleic acid libraries for in vitro selection such as the nature of the library (DNA, RNA or modified nucleotides), the length of a randomized region and the presence of fixed sequences. We also compare and contrast different randomization strategies and consider computer methods of library design and some other aspects.

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An important current issue of modern molecular medicine and biotechnology is the search for new approaches to early diagnostic assays and adequate therapy of infectious diseases. One of the promising solutions to this problem might be a development of nucleic acid aptamers capable of interacting specifically with bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Such aptamers can be used for the specific recognition of infectious agents as well as for blocking of their functions. The present review summarizes various modern SELEX techniques used in this field, and of several currently identified aptamers against viral particles and unicellular organisms, and their applications. The prospects of applying nucleic acid aptamers for the development of novel detection systems and antibacterial and antiviral drugs are discussed.

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Northern high-latitude rivers are major conduits of carbon from land to coastal seas and the Arctic Ocean. Arctic warming is promoting terrestrial permafrost thaw and shifting hydrologic flowpaths, leading to fluvial mobilization of ancient carbon stores. Here we describe (14)C and (13)C characteristics of dissolved organic carbon from fluvial networks across the Kolyma River Basin (Siberia), and isotopic changes during bioincubation experiments. Microbial communities utilized ancient carbon (11,300 to >50,000 (14)C years) in permafrost thaw waters and millennial-aged carbon (up to 10,000 (14)C years) across headwater streams. Microbial demand was supported by progressively younger ((14)C-enriched) carbon downstream through the network, with predominantly modern carbon pools subsidizing microorganisms in large rivers and main-stem waters. Permafrost acts as a significant and preferentially degradable source of bioavailable carbon in Arctic freshwaters, which is likely to increase as permafrost thaw intensifies causing positive climate feedbacks in response to on-going climate change.

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Permafrost thaw in the Arctic driven by climate change is mobilizing ancient terrigenous organic carbon (OC) into fluvial networks. Understanding the controls on metabolism of this OC is imperative for assessing its role with respect to climate feedbacks. In this study, we examined the effect of inorganic nutrient supply and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition on aquatic extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) in waters draining the Kolyma River Basin (Siberia), including permafrost-derived OC. Reducing the phenolic content of the DOM pool resulted in dramatic increases in hydrolase EEAs (e.g., phosphatase activity increased >28-fold) supporting the idea that high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds in DOM (e.g., plant structural tissues) inhibit enzyme synthesis or activity, limiting OC degradation. EEAs were significantly more responsive to inorganic nutrient additions only after phenolic inhibition was experimentally removed. In controlled mixtures of modern OC and thawed permafrost endmember OC sources, respiration rates per unit dissolved OC were 1.3-1.6 times higher in waters containing ancient carbon, suggesting that permafrost-derived OC was more available for microbial mineralization. In addition, waters containing ancient permafrost-derived OC supported elevated phosphatase and glucosidase activities. Based on these combined results, we propose that both composition and nutrient availability regulate DOM metabolism in Arctic aquatic ecosystems. Our empirical findings are incorporated into a mechanistic conceptual model highlighting two key enzymatic processes in the mineralization of riverine OM: (i) the role of phenol oxidase activity in reducing inhibitory phenolic compounds and (ii) the role of phosphatase in mobilizing organic P. Permafrost-derived DOM degradation was less constrained by this initial 'phenolic-OM' inhibition; thus, informing reports of high biological availability of ancient, permafrost-derived DOM with clear ramifications for its metabolism in fluvial networks and feedbacks to climate.

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BACKGROUND: Enhancer elements determine the level of target gene transcription in a tissue-specific manner, providing for individual patterns of gene expression in different cells. Knowledge of the mechanisms controlling enhancer action is crucial for understanding global regulation of transcription. In particular, enhancers are often localized within transcribed regions of the genome. A number of experiments suggest that transcription can have both positive and negative effects on regulatory elements. In this study, we performed direct tests for the effect of transcription on enhancer activity. RESULTS: Using a transgenic reporter system, we investigated the relationship between the presence of pass-through transcription and the activity of Drosophila enhancers controlling the expression of the white and yellow genes. The results show that transcription from different promoters affects the activity of enhancers, counteracting their ability to activate the target genes. As expected, the presence of a transcriptional terminator between the inhibiting promoter and the affected enhancer strongly reduces the suppression. Moreover, transcription leads to dislodging of the Zeste protein that is responsible for the enhancer-dependent regulation of the white gene, suggesting a 'transcription interference' mechanism for this regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a role for pass-through transcription in negative regulation of enhancer activity.

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Chromatin insulators are regulatory elements involved in the modulation of enhancer-promoter communication. The 1A2 and Wari insulators are located immediately downstream of the Drosophila yellow and white genes, respectively. Using an assay based on the yeast GAL4 activator, we have found that both insulators are able to interact with their target promoters in transgenic lines, forming gene loops. The existence of an insulator-promoter loop is confirmed by the fact that insulator proteins could be detected on the promoter only in the presence of an insulator in the transgene. The upstream promoter regions, which are required for long-distance stimulation by enhancers, are not essential for promoter-insulator interactions. Both insulators support basal activity of the yellow and white promoters in eyes. Thus, the ability of insulators to interact with promoters might play an important role in the regulation of basal gene transcription.

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