RNA aptamers as tools for the purification and analysis of in vivo assembled ribonucleoproteins

Common strategies for incorporating RNA aptamers into existing RNAs. (A) Aptamers can be inserted by integrating the terminal stem of the aptamer into an existing stem–loop region, replacing the existing loop with the aptamer. (B) The aptamer may be incorporated into a loop region, adding an additional stem to the structure. (C) A single aptamer may be added to an unstructured region, usually on the 5′ or 3′ ends of the RNA. Multiple copies of an aptamer, or multiple aptamers, may be added, separated by spacer regions. Created in BioRender (Rocca and Kothe 2025, https://BioRender.com/i49j579).