HIGH-THROUGH SCREENING FOR CELL-BASED APTAMERS

Abstract

The invention provides eukaryotic cell-based screening methods for identifying an aptamer that specifically binds a ligand or a ligand that specifically binds an aptamer, using a polynucleotide cassette to regulate the expression of a reporter gene, wherein the polynucleotide cassette contains a riboswitch within a 5' intron-alternative exon-3' intron frame. The riboswitch comprises an effector region and an aptamer, such that when the aptamer binds a ligand, reporter gene expression is induced.