Characterization of a DNA Aptamer with High Specificity toward Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1

Artificial ligands that recognize membrane receptors with high affinity and specificity provide a means for the precise control of receptor activity and the resulting biological functions. In the present work, we focused on a previously reported DNA aptamer that is a functional mimic of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and evaluated its receptor specificity. It was revealed that the aptamer works as a selective agonist for FGF receptor (FGFR) 1 owing to its high specificity toward the receptor, despite the high sequence homology in the extracellular domains of the FGFR family. The excellent receptor-type specificity of the aptamer, which is distinct from that of native ligands, should offer new possibilities as a chemical tool to study the biological role of growth factor receptors.