Analysis of Aptamer-Small Molecule Binding Interactions Using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a technique where the heat given off, or absorbed, during a binding event is measured and used to determine the binding thermodynamics and affinity associated with binding. This protocol focuses on ITC applications for studying aptamer interactions with small molecule ligands where ITC has the advantage of being a label-free solution-based technique. The limitation of ITC using a relatively large amount of material compared to other analytical techniques is not applicable here as large amounts of nucleic acids, especially DNA, can be readily obtained. In this chapter we describe how to use ITC methods to measure the thermodynamics and affinity of binding using the interaction of quinine with a DNA cocaine-binding aptamer as an example.