Preparation of Modified Combinatorial DNA Libraries via Emulsion PCR with Subsequent Strand Separation

— A modification of the enzymatic method for the preparation of combinatorial random DNA libraries, which combines amplification in isolated microvolumes with the simultaneous incorporation of modified nucleotides and subsequent separation of DNA strands, was developed. Deoxyuridine triphosphate with hydrophobic substituents such as structural analogues of amino acid side chains in the C5 position of the pyrimidine ring was used to introduce modifications into DNA. To prevent competitive amplification, which reduces the representativeness of combinatorial libraries, PCR in inverse emulsion was used. The separation of the strands of PCR products was carried out. There were six single-stranded DNA libraries with complete substitution of deoxythymidine via modified analogues with various functional groups. These DNA libraries are suitable for generating aptamers to protein targets through additional hydrophobic interactions from the introductions of appropriate modifications, and are completely compatible with the SELEX aptamer selection methodology.