Nucleic Aptamer Selection for Glucagon to Increase Efficiency of Diabetes Diagnosis

John Ferguson
September 16, 2011
Aptamer Fall 2011
Pool: N58, Glucagon, Nucleic Aptamer against Fibrillation of Glucagon

Nucleic Aptamer against Fibrillation of Glucagon

Abstract

Glucagon is a hormone used in emergency situations for people with Diabetes (Jesper 2006). Glucagon raises low blood sugar levels a

nd is specifically used to treat severe Hypoglycaemia. This hormone is usually administered via a syringe when a diabetic individual cannot take sugar by mouth.² Modern medicine has also used glucagon in diagnosis of the stomach and digestive tract. Glucagon is an important hormone to have in excess for emergences when dealing with low blood sugar but it has been known to cause nausea and vomiting (Kieffer 2000).

An aptamer involved with glucagon would be beneficial to increase its use as a diagnostic medication. Glucagon is used best when administered to patients that have become unconscious from low blood sugar (Schroeder 1984). On the other hand; glucagon is dangerous in the

sense that the patient must be turned on their side to prevent choking if they vomit. An aptamer that can alleviate the symptoms of nausea and vomiting can ultimately increase the diagnostic use of glucagon with Diabetic patients (Dunning 2006). A potential application of this aptamer would be for all Diabetic individuals to counteract Hypoglycaemia by reducing side effects and creating a more practical diagnostic tool when running tests through glucagon. This can be accomplished either through a medication that affects the human body to produce glucagon or through medication with modified glucagon.

Specific Aim 1: The specific aim of this experiment is to find aptamers with high binding affinities to select against glucagon (as seen in Figure 1). This aptamer will need to not only bind to the glucagon molecule but it must affect the way it travels within our blood system in order to decrease its effect to the brain for nausea. This aptamer may also inhibit the shape of the glucagon for a different recognition within the human body. The priority for this experiment is to find an aptamer that binds to the glucagon molecule.

Figure 1: This diagram shows how glucagon can be changed to be a more efficient hormone for drug administration. The specific aim of this experiment is to find aptamers with high binding affinities to select against glucagon.

This experiment will also aim at increasing uses of Glucagon within medical diagnostics. Therefore Glucagon cannot be inhibited in any way that changes its function in the body. Glucagon is available in the -80˚C freezer in the Aptamer Lab. There is 0.5 mg of glucagon for $126.50 and it has been aliquoted and prepared by a student conducting aptamer-glucagon research in the past. The current stock of glucagon is from AnaSpec and their telephone number is 800-452-5530.

Works cited:

(1)"Glucagon - PubMed Health." Web. 30 Aug. 2011. .

(2)"Buy Discount Glucagon Kit - Glucagon Online From a Canadian Drug Store." Canada Pharmacy, Canadian Pharmacy, Canadian Pharmacies, Canada Drugs, Canadian Drugs Online. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. online.aspx>.

(3)"The glucagon-like peptides". Endocr. Rev. 20 (6): 876–913.

Kieffer TJ, Habener JF (2000).

(4)"Localization of the human glucagon gene (GCG) to chromosome segment 2q36----37". Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 38 (1): 76–9.

Schroeder WT, Lopez LC, Harper ME, Saunders GF (1984).

(5)"Alpha cell function in health and disease: influence of glucagon-like peptide-1". Diabetologia 48 (9): 1700–13.

Dunning BE, Foley JE, Ahrén B (2006).

Here is a link to the Final Manuscript:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jP1YjdUBZgp420tnwtUHF7mPl0zvGvp9jBIXXjLAG_o/edit?hl=en_US

Here is a link to my full proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11p1epjLDiTbj15VsZB864P9m6EXQftvdjTUCcdpQV-A/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1