High throughput sequencing analysis of RNA libraries reveals the influences of initial library and PCR methods on SELEX efficiency.

The systemic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) technique is a powerful and effective aptamer-selection procedure. However, modifications to the process can dramatically improve selection efficiency and aptamer performance. For example, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) has been recently incorporated into SELEX selection protocols to putatively reduce the propagation of byproducts and avoid selection bias that result from differences in PCR efficiency of sequences within the random library. However, a detailed, parallel comparison of the efficacy of conventional solution PCR versus the ddPCR modification in the RNA aptamer-selection process is needed to understand effects on overall SELEX performance. In the present study, we took advantage of powerful high throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis coupled with SELEX (HT-SELEX) to thoroughly investigate the effects of initial library and PCR methods in the RNA aptamer identification. Our analysis revealed that distinct "biased sequences" and nucleotide composition existed in the initial, unselected libraries purchased from two different manufacturers and that the fate of the "biased sequences" was target-dependent during selection. Our comparison of solution PCR- and ddPCR-driven HT-SELEX demonstrated that PCR method affected not only the nucleotide composition of the enriched sequences, but also the overall SELEX efficiency and aptamer efficacy

Selex

A summary of the path which lead to a high energy physics group at Instituto de Fisica de la Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi is presented. This group is the result of the initial push made by Leon Lederman at the beginning of the 80's.Comment: Talk given at the Session honoring Leon Lederman at the VII Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields, Merida, Mexico, November 10-17, 1999. Proceedings to be published by AI

SELEX: Recent Progress in the Analysis of Charm-Strange and Double-Charm Baryons

We present recent progress in the analysis of the Omega_c^0, the Xi_cc^+ and the Xi_cc^++.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of HQL06, Munich, October 16th-20th 200