In vitro selection of RNA aptamer specific to Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a major foodborne pathogen. Gram-positive bacteria have unique teichoic acids as cell-wall components. In order to identify ligands specific to the bacteria, we developed an RNA aptamer against the teichoic acid of Staphylococcus aureus using SELEX technology. To this end, we used a polystyrene 96-well-based selection method and confirmed the binding activity of the RNA aptamer to the teichoic acid using real-time PCR. Of note, the teichoic acid-specific RNA aptamer was observed to bind to S. aureus bacterial cells also. This RNA aptamer could therefore be useful as a diagnostic ligand against S. aureus-associated foodborne illness.