Thermostable polymerase inhibitor compositions and methods

An aptamer comprising:

• a first sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:1 or a variant thereof or SEQ ID NO:2 or a variant thereof,
• a second sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:3 or a variant thereof,
• a third sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:1 or a variant thereof or SEQ ID NO:2 or a variant thereof,
• and a fourth sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:3 or a variant thereof, wherein the second and fourth sequences are 12 nucleotides in length and are identical to each other;
• wherein:
• the variant of SEQ ID NO:1 comprises 1, 2, 3 or 4 nucleotide substitutions;
• wherein each of the first and third sequences, comprising SEQ ID NOs:1 and 2, respectively, or variants thereof, are 16-18 nucleotides in length, are equal in length to each other, and are 100% complementary to each other along their entire length;
• and
• the variant of SEQ ID NO:3 contains 1 or 2 nucleotide substitutions;
• and
• wherein:
• there is no covalent bond between 2 of the nucleotides within the first sequence and wherein the aptamer comprises a 5′ terminus and a 3′ terminus;
• or
• there is no covalent bond between 2 of the nucleotides within the third sequence and wherein the aptamer comprises a 5′ terminus and a 3′ terminus.