Thioaptamers targeting dengue virus type-2 envelope protein domain III

• Thioaptamers were developed using SELEX targeting DENV-2 EDIII protein.
• Selected thioaptamers were synthesized and used in filter binding assay to determine binding constants.
• Site of binding for DENTA-1 was deduced by 2D NMR HSQC and mapped onto DENV-2 EDIII structure.

Thioaptamers targeting the dengue-2 virus (DENV-2) envelope protein domain III (EDIII) were developed. EDIII, which contains epitopes for binding neutralizing antibodies, is the putative host–receptor binding domain and is thus an attractive target for development of vaccines, anti-viral therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Thioaptamer DENTA-1 bound to DENV-2 EDIII adjacent to a known neutralizing antibody binding site with a dissociation constant of 154 nM.

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