RNA aptamers: promising tools in synthetic biology

Synthetic elements made entirely of RNA are suitable as regulatory elements in genetically modified systems and as biosensors. Such RNA aptamers are highly structured nucleotide sequences capable of specifically binding a target molecule. De novo selection of aptamers against a wide variety of potential targets is possible. By integrating RNA aptamers as binding domains into natural or synthetically designed regulatory circuits in the form of so-called riboswitches, new regulatory mechanisms can be generated that do not require additional regulatory elements. In addition, these binding domains can be used in cell-free systems to perform highly specific and affine molecular detection assays. By presenting two well-established aptamer designs, we aim to demonstrate the potential of RNA aptamer-based riboswitches and biosensors in various applications.