DNA aptamers that modulate biological activity of model neurons

There is an urgent need for agents that promote health and regeneration of cells and tissues, specifically to treat diseases of the aging nervous system. Age-associated nervous system degeneration and various diseases are driven by many different biochemical stresses, often making it difficult to target any one disease cause. Our laboratory has previously identified DNA aptamers with apparent regenerative properties in murine models of multiple sclerosis by selecting aptamers that bind oligodendrocyte membrane preparations. Here, we screened vast libraries of molecules (∼10 ¹⁴ unique DNAs) for the ability to bind cultured human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells as model neurons to demonstrate the feasibility of identifying biologically active aptamers by cycles of cell selection. Many of these DNA aptamers bind undifferentiated and differentiated cultured SH-SY5Y cells. Several of these aptamers modulate the biological activity of SH-SY5Y cells upon treatment in culture.