ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Genome Organization and Dynamics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1565459
Screening and Characterization of DNA Aptamers that Modulate Prime Editing
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Male Reproductive Medicine and Genetics, Institute of Urology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, 518000, Shenzhen, China
- 2DEYUE Skin Dermatology Clinic, 518036, Shenzhen, China
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Precise genome editing is a critical focus in gene therapy, and the CRISPR-Cas9 system has become a powerful and versatile tool for this purpose. However, a significant limitation of the CRISPR-Cas9 system is its low homologous recombination rate, which can impede the restoration of normal gene function. To address some of these challenges, advanced gene-editing technologies, such as base editors and prime editors have been developed. In this study, we selected a set of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) aptamers with high affinity and specificity for the Cas9 protein using the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) technique. Through molecular docking, we predicted potential interaction sites between these aptamers and the prime editor 2 (PE2). Furthermore, we assessed the influence of these aptamers on the editing efficiency of PE2. Additionally, we explored the molecular interactions between the aptamers and PE2 and evaluated their impact on restoring the function of the tumor suppressor gene p53 in cancer cell lines. Our findings provide new insights into the modulation of prime editing and hold potential for improving its clinical applications.
Keywords: CRISPR, Prime editor 2, aptamer, gene editing, DNA Repair
Received: 23 Jan 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Huang, Ye and Gui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yaoting Gui, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Male Reproductive Medicine and Genetics, Institute of Urology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, 518000, Shenzhen, China
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