Serving as the basis of cell life, interactions between
nucleic
acids and proteins play essential roles in fundamental cellular processes.
Aptamers are unique single-stranded oligonucleotides generated by
in vitro evolution methods, possessing the ability to interact with
proteins specifically. Altering the structure of aptamers will largely
modulate their interactions with proteins and further affect related
cellular behaviors. Recently, with the in-depth research of aptamer–protein
interactions, the analytical assays based on their interactions have
been widely developed and become a powerful tool for biomolecular
detection. There are some insightful reviews on aptamers applied in
protein detection, while few systematic discussions are from the perspective
of regulating aptamer–protein interactions. Herein, we comprehensively
introduce the methods for regulating aptamer–protein interactions
and elaborate on the detection techniques for analyzing aptamer–protein
interactions. Additionally, this review provides a broad summary of
analytical assays based on the regulation of aptamer–protein
interactions for detecting biomolecules. Finally, we present our perspectives
regarding the opportunities and challenges of analytical assays for
biological analysis, aiming to provide guidance for disease mechanism
research and drug discovery.