A rapid method for recombination and site-specific mutagenesis by placing homologous ends on DNA using polymerase chain reaction

We have developed a novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that permits the rapid generation of site-specific mutants and recombinant DNA constructs with a minimum number of steps and primers. DNA segments are modified by using amplifying primers that add homologous ends to the polymerase chain reaction product(s). These homologous ends undergo recombination in vivo following transformation of recA-E. coli strains used routinely in cloning. In vivo circularization of PCR products containing plasmid sequences with a selective marker permits the rapid cloning of the desired mutant or recombinant. In the mutagenesis protocol, 7 of the 12 clones contained the product of interest, and 6 of these clones had no detected error (50% of the clones without detected errors). In each of several recombination protocols, at least 50% of the clones tested contained the insert of interest without detected errors.     

In vivo cloning of PCR products in E. coli.

This report describes an efficient method to clone PCR products exploiting endogenous Escherichia coli enzymatic activities. PCR products are engineered to contain terminal sequences identical to sequences at the two ends of a linearized vector. PCR products and vector DNA are then simply co-transfected into E. coli strain JC8679, obviating the requirement for enzymatic treatment of the PCR product or in vitro ligation. The high rate of homologous recombination in this strain results in efficient incorporation of the insert into the vector, a process we refer to as in vivo cloning (IVC).     

A rapid method for site-specific mutagenesis and directional subcloning by using the polymerase chain reaction to generate recombinant circles

Site-specific mutagenesis and directional subcloning were accomplished by using the polymerase chain reaction to generate products that can recombine to form circular DNA. This DNA was transfected into E. coli without phosphorylation of primers, restriction enzyme digestion or ligation. Specifically, the polymerase chain reaction was used to generate products that when combined, denatured and reannealed, form double-stranded DNA with discrete, cohesive single-stranded ends. The generation of these cohesive ends of DNA permits the formation of precise, directional DNA joints without dependence on enzyme restriction sites. The primers were designed such that these cohesive single-stranded ends annealed to form circular DNA. The recombinant of interest was generated following only 14 amplification cycles. These recombinant circles of DNA were directly transfected into E. coli. In the mutagenesis protocol, the desired mutant was obtained at 83%-100% efficiency. Unwanted mutations were not detected, indicating a less than 0.025% nucleotide misincorporation frequency. In the directional subcloning protocol, inserts were positioned precisely in the recipient plasmid and were in the correct orientation. One unwanted mutation was detected after sequencing 900 bases, indicating a 0.11% nucleotide misincorporation frequency. Each manipulation, from setting up for the DNA amplification to transfection into E. coli. can easily be accomplished in one day.     

一种高效构建同源重组DNA片段的方法——融合PCR

融合PCR技术（fusion PCR）采用具有互补末端的引物,形成具有重叠链的PCR产物,通过PCR产物重叠链的延伸,从而将不同来源的任意DNA片段连接起来,此技术在不需要内切酶消化和连接酶处理的条件下实现DNA片段的体外连接,为同源重组片段的构建提供了快速简捷的途径。对原有的融合PCR技术进行改进,以三个同源重组线性DNA片段的构建为例,详细论述了改进的融合PCR技术的反应过程及技术体系。结果表明,改进的融合PCR技术可以同时进行三个片段及四个片段的融合反应,产物长度均在4.5kb以上,各同源重组片段在扩增过程中均无突变发生,获得的片段可以用于后续实验分析。     

Ligase-free subcloning: a versatile method to subclone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products in a single day.

Often, it is convenient to subclone polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products into a plasmid vector for subsequent replication in bacteria, but conventional subcloning methods often fail. We report a rapid and versatile method to subclone PCR products directionally into a specific site of virtually any plasmid vector. The procedure requires only four primers, does not require DNA ligase, and may be accomplished in a single day. Ligase-free subcloning is performed by incorporating into the PCR primers sequences at the 5' ends that result in PCR products whose 3' ends are complementary to the 3' ends of the recipient linearized plasmid. The PCR product and the linearized plasmid are spliced together in a second PCR reaction in which Taq polymerase extends the complementary overlapping 3' ends (ligation by overlap extension). Denaturation followed by heterologous reannealing and cyclization results in a cyclic recombinant plasmid with two nicks that may be used directly to transform competent Escherichia coli. In our hands, ligase-free subcloning is rapid, and offers many advantages over existing strategies.     

Quantitative detection of residual E. coli host cell DNA by real-time PCR

E. coli has been widely used as a host system to manufacture recombinant proteins for human therapeutic use. Among impurities to be eliminated during the downstream process, residual host cell DNA is a major interest for safety. Residual E. coli host cell DNA in the final products are usually determined using conventional slot blot hybridization assay or total DNA Threshold assay, although these methods are time consuming, expensive, and relatively insensitive. Therefore a sensitive real-time PCR assay for specific detection of residual E. coli DNA was developed and compared with slot blot hybridization assay and Threshold assay to validate the overall capability of these methods. Specific primer pair for amplification of the E. coli 16S rRNA gene was selected to improve the sensitivity, and E. coli host cell DNA was quantified by use of SYBR Green 1. The detection limit of real-time PCR assay in the optimized condition was calculated to be 0.042 pg genomic DNA, which is much higher than those of slot blot hybridization assay and Threshold assay of which detection limit were 2.42 and 3.73 pg genomic DNA, respectively. The real-time PCR assay was validated to be more reproducible, accurate, and precise than slot blot hybridization assay and Threshold assay. The real-time PCR assay may be a useful tool for quantitative detection and clearance validation of residual E. coli DNA during the manufacturing process for recombinant therapeutics.     

Directional cloning of native PCR products with preformed sticky ends (Autosticky PCR)

A novel method for the directional cloning of native PCR products was developed. Abasic sites in DNA templates make DNA polymerases stall at the site during synthesis of the complementary strand. Since the 5′ ends of PCR product strands contain built-in amplification primers, abasic sites within the primers result in the formation of 5′ single-stranded overhangs at the ends of the PCR product, enabling its direct ligation to a suitably cleaved cloning vector without any further modification. This “autosticky PCR” (AS-PCR) overcomes the problems caused by end sensitivity of restriction enzymes, or internal restriction sites within the amplified sequences, and enables the generation of essentially any desired 5′ overhang.     

A PCR-free cloning method for the targeted φ80 Int-mediated integration of any long DNA fragment, bracketed with meganuclease recognition sites, into the Escherichia coli chromosome

The genetic manipulation of cells is the most promising strategy for designing microorganisms with desired traits. The most widely used approaches for integrating specific DNA-fragments into the Escherichia coli genome are based on bacteriophage site-specific and Red/ET-mediated homologous recombination systems. Specifically, the recently developed Dual In/Out integration strategy enables the integration of DNA fragments directly into specific chromosomal loci (Minaeva et al., 2008). To develop this strategy further, we designed a method for the precise cloning of any long DNA fragments from the E. coli chromosome and their targeted insertion into the genome that does not require PCR. In this method, the region of interest is flanked by I-SceI rare-cutting restriction sites, and the I-SceI-bracketed region is cloned into the unique I-SceI site of an integrative plasmid vector that then enables its targeted insertion into the E. coli chromosome via bacteriophage φ80 Int-mediated specialized recombination. This approach allows any long specific DNA fragment from the E. coli genome to be cloned without a PCR amplification step and reproducibly inserted into any chosen chromosomal locus. The developed method could be particularly useful for the construction of marker-less and plasmid-less recombinant strains in the biotechnology industry.     

Site-directed mutagenesis by combination of homologous recombination and DpnI digestion of the plasmid template in Escherichia coli

A rapid site-directed mutagenesis strategy using homologous recombination and DpnI digestion of the template in Escherichia coli is described. Briefly, inverse polymerase chain reaction amplification of the entire circular plasmid was performed by mutagenic primers with overlapping sequences ( approximately 15 bp) for generating PCR products with approximately 15 bp of homology on the terminal ends. On direct transformation of the amplified PCR products into restriction endonuclease DpnI-expressing E. coli BUNDpnI, homologous recombination occurs in E. coli while the original templates are removed via DpnI digestion in vivo, thus yielding clones harboring mutated circular plasmids. Nearly 100% efficiency was attained when this strategy was used to modify DNA sequences.     

Comparison of primers for the detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli using real-time PCR

AIMS: To evaluate PCR primers for the detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli in a real-time PCR assay and determine their utility in produce irrigation water testing. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three previously published PCR primer sets and one set designed for this study were tested for their ability to produce amplification products for several pathogenic E. coli serotypes from whole cells as template. Two of the previously published primer sets were chosen for real-time PCR detection limit determination. The coneaeA and PEH detection limit of E. coli O157:H7 was 10(0) and 10(1) CFU rxn(-1) in sterile water respectively. To detect E. coli O157:H7 in sprout irrigation water, the water required dilution due to PCR inhibitors. The detection limit of the coneaeA and PEH was 10(1) and between 10(2) and 10(3) CFU rxn(-1) in diluted sprout irrigation water respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The primer set coneaeA was able to produce an amplification product from each E. coli serotype, except O128:H7 and most sensitive for real-time PCR detection of pathogenic E. coli in diluted sprout irrigation water. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The necessity of a dissociation analysis to distinguish positive samples from those with fluorescence of random dsDNA generation for real-time PCR in a complex background was established.     

Directional cloning of native PCR products with preformed sticky ends (Autosticky PCR)

A novel method for the directional cloning of native PCR products was developed. Abasic sites in DNA templates make DNA polymerases stall at the site during synthesis of the complementary strand. Since the 5′ ends of PCR product strands contain built-in amplification primers, abasic sites within the primers result in the formation of 5′ single-stranded overhangs at the ends of the PCR product, enabling its direct ligation to a suitably cleaved cloning vector without any further modification. This “autosticky PCR” (AS-PCR) overcomes the problems caused by end sensitivity of restriction enzymes, or internal restriction sites within the amplified sequences, and enables the generation of essentially any desired 5′ overhang. Received: 11 August 1998 / Accepted: 2 October 1998     

Positive selection vectors for high-fidelity PCR cloning

The power of PCR cloning of a target DNA fragment is limited by polymerase-induced mutations. While high-fidelity PCR products can be achieved by reducing the number of PCR cycles, the cloning of the very small amount of DNA thus amplified should give only a few recombinant clones (carrying an insert), which would be very difficult to screen from thousands of background false-positive clones generated by all the currently available vectors, including the positive selection vectors. False-positive clones are mostly generated by the recircularization of linearized vectors that have lost some bases at their ends due to digestion with contaminating exonuclease activities present in restriction enzymes, ligases, polymerases, and other reagents. To overcome this problem, two positive selection vectors, pRGR1Ap and pREM5Tc, have been developed, based on the principles of reporter gene reconstruction and regulatory element modulation, respectively. A PCR primer carrying a vector-specific sequence at its 5' end is used in PCR. When the resultant PCR products are ligated to the specific vector, an antibiotic resistance gene is expressed, thus donating positive selection capability to the harboring cells in a specific selection medium. These vectors cloned PCR fragments generated from less than a femtomole quantity of Escherichia coli genomic DNA after only three cycles of PCR amplification, thus greatly reducing the number of recombinant clones containing polymerase-induced mutations.     

High-throughput cloning of human liver complete open reading frames using homologous recombination in Escherichia coli

In this article, we describe a high-throughput cloning method, seamless enzyme-free cloning (SEFC), which allows one-step assembly of DNA fragments in vivo via homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. In the method, the desired open reading frame (ORF) is amplified by use of ORF-specific primers with flanking sequences identical to the two ends of a linearized vector. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product and the linearized vector are then cotransformed into E. coli cells, where the ORF is incorporated into the vector in vivo. SEFC is a simple, reliable, and inexpensive method of cloning in which PCR fragments are fused into expression vectors without unwanted amino acids or extra in vitro manipulations apart from the single PCR amplification step. Using this method, we successfully cloned human liver complete ORFs into the yeast AD and DB vectors and generated a clone resource of 4964 AD-ORFs and 4676 DB-ORFs in 3 months. This approach will be useful for daily DNA cloning and for creating proteome-scale clone resources.     

Quick and clean cloning: a ligation-independent cloning strategy for selective cloning of specific PCR products from non-specific mixes

We have developed an efficient strategy for cloning of PCR products that contain an unknown region flanked by a known sequence. As with ligation-independent cloning, the strategy is based on homology between sequences present in both the vector and the insert. However, in contrast to ligation-independent cloning, the cloning vector has homology with only one of the two primers used for amplification of the insert. The other side of the linearized cloning vector has homology with a sequence present in the insert, but nested and non-overlapping with the gene-specific primer used for amplification. Since only specific products contain this sequence, but none of the non-specific products, only specific products can be cloned. Cloning is performed using a one-step reaction that only requires incubation for 10 minutes at room temperature in the presence of T4 DNA polymerase to generate single-stranded extensions at the ends of the vector and insert. The reaction mix is then directly transformed into E. coli where the annealed vector-insert complex is repaired and ligated. We have tested this method, which we call quick and clean cloning (QC cloning), for cloning of the variable regions of immunoglobulins expressed in non-Hodgkin lymphoma tumor samples. This method can also be applied to identify the flanking sequence of DNA elements such as T-DNA or transposon insertions, or be used for cloning of any PCR product with high specificity.     

抗冻蛋白结构基因片段的克隆

为了研究和开发利用抗冻蛋白或多肽,木文通过聚合酶链式反应（ＰＣＲ）合成了抗冻蛋白１１０ｂｐ的结构基因片段,然后将该基因片段克隆到大肠杆菌质粒载体Ｐ（Ｂｌｕｅｓｃｒｉｐｔ）Ⅱｋｓ＋／－上,获得了重组质粒,经酶切证明,获得的重组质粒中含有抗冻蛋白结构基因片段,以供该基因在大肠杆菌或酵母中表达抗冻蛋白。     

Long PCR Product Sequencing (LoPPS): a shotgun-based approach to sequence long PCR products

Here we describe a practical procedure for sequencing long PCR products. The method relies on ultrasonic shearing of PCR products, resulting in fragments 700-1,000 nt long. Termini are subsequently repaired to obtain blunt ends and 3' A-overhangs are added before TA cloning. A predetermined number of clones are sequenced using an insert-independent primer to obtain an overlapping contig covering the full length of the PCR product. This method is cost effective and enables the complete sequencing of any large PCR product in a high-throughput format. Processing of amplified DNA requires 3 h handling time prior to the ligation step, and the clone library is available 2 d later. The complete sequence information is obtained approximately 5 d after the PCR step, depending on the sequencing procedure adopted.     

A method for generating sticky-end PCR products which facilitates unidirectional cloning and the one-step assembly of complex DNA constructs

We have developed and tested a method for the restriction enzyme-independent generation of sticky-end PCR products. The method is suitable for use with a proof-reading polymerase such as pfu, or any other heat-stable polymerase which produces a blunt-end product. The technique can be used to achieve unidirectional cloning of PCR products with an efficiency greater than 90%. Because the sequences of the sticky ends are defined by the user and potentially can be of any length, the method can also be exploited for the one-step construction of recombinant plasmids from multiple functional cassettes, without the use of restriction enzymes.     

A proportional analysis method using non-kinetic real-time PCR

Prompted by increasing interest in proportional analysis of genetic types, we developed a simple assay technique for determining the ratio of a specific target gene in the total genes that can be amplified with the same PCR primer. The key feature of this method is that the following two tasks are performed in a single-tube real-time PCR system: task 1, PCR amplification of the total genes including the target using a labeled PCR primer, with concurrent monitoring of the total copy number of the PCR product; task 2, detection of the signal of the target gene at each cycle of amplification, using a labeled nucleotide probe. In principle, the ratio of the target gene to the total genes is represented by the signal detected in 'task 2' at the cycle in which the PCR product reached a prescribed copy number (assessed by 'task 1').     

PCR- and ligation-mediated synthesis of marker cassettes with long flanking homology regions for gene disruption in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We developed a novel method for synthesizing marker-disrupted alleles of yeast genes. The first step is PCR amplification of two sequences located upstream and downstream of the reading frame to be disrupted. Due to the addition of non-specific single A overhangs by Taq DNA polymerase, each PCR product can be ligated with a marker DNA which has T residues at its 3' ends. After amplification of individual ligation products through the second PCR, both products are mixed and annealed, and the single strand is converted to a double strand by an extension reaction. The final step is PCR amplification of the fragment composed of a selectable marker and two flanking sequences with the outermost primers. This method is rapid and needs only short oligonucleotides as primers.     

Ligation-independent cloning of PCR products (LIC-PCR).

A new procedure has been developed for the efficient cloning of complex PCR mixtures, resulting in libraries exclusively consisting of recombinant clones. Recombinants are generated between PCR products and a PCR-amplified plasmid vector. The procedure does not require the use of restriction enzymes, T4 DNA ligase or alkaline phosphatase. The 5'-ends of the primers used to generate the cloneable PCR fragments contain an additional 12 nucleotide (nt) sequence lacking dCMP. As a result, the amplification products include 12-nt sequences lacking dGMP at their 3'-ends. The 3'-terminal sequence can be removed by the action of the (3'----5') exonuclease activity of T4 DNA polymerase in the presence of dGTP, leading to fragments with 5'-extending single-stranded (ss) tails of a defined sequence and length. Similarly, the entire plasmid vector is amplified with primers homologous to sequences in the multiple cloning site. The vector oligos have additional 12-nt tails complementary to the tails used for fragment amplification, permitting the creation of ss-ends with T4 DNA polymerase in the presence of dCTP. Circularization can occur between vector molecules and PCR fragments as mediated by the 12-nt cohesive ends, but not in mixtures lacking insert fragments. The resulting circular recombinant molecules do not require in vitro ligation for efficient bacterial transformation. We have applied the procedure for the cloning of inter-ALU fragments from hybrid cell-lines and human cosmid clones.