Biomaterial Database

Addition of oligonucleotides to the 5'-terminus of DNA by T4 RNA ligase. 1979

N P Higgins, and A P Geballe, and N R Cozzarelli

Bacteriophage T4-induced RNA ligase catalyzes the controlled template-independent addition of RNA to the 5'-phosphoryl end of large DNA molecules. Restriction enzyme-generated fragments of Co1E1 DNA with completely basepaired or cohesive ends and linear single-stranded øX174 viral DNA were all good substrates. DNA molecules from 10 to 6000 nucleotides long were quantitatively joined in an hour to a number of different RNA homopolymers. The most efficient of these was A(pA)5; I(pI)5 and C(pC)5 were also utilized while U(pU)5 was not. The optimum ribohomopolymer length was six nucleotides. Joining of ribohomopolymers between 10 and 20 nucleotides long occurred at approximately 1/2 the maximal rate and a trimer was the shortest substrate. Thus RNA ligase provides a method for generating extensions of predetermined length and base composition at the 5'-end of large DNA molecules that complements the available procedures for extending the 3'-hydroxyl terminus of DNA.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D009841	Oligonucleotides	Polymers made up of a few (2-20) nucleotides. In molecular genetics, they refer to a short sequence synthesized to match a region where a mutation is known to occur, and then used as a probe (OLIGONUCLEOTIDE PROBES). (Dorland, 28th ed)	Oligonucleotide
D009843	Oligoribonucleotides	A group of ribonucleotides (up to 12) in which the phosphate residues of each ribonucleotide act as bridges in forming diester linkages between the ribose moieties.
D011118	Polynucleotide Ligases	Catalyze the joining of preformed ribonucleotides or deoxyribonucleotides in phosphodiester linkage during genetic processes. EC 6.5.1.	Polynucleotide Synthetases,Ligases, Polynucleotide,Synthetases, Polynucleotide
D011130	RNA Ligase (ATP)	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of linear RNA to a circular form by the transfer of the 5'-phosphate to the 3'-hydroxyl terminus. It also catalyzes the covalent joining of two polyribonucleotides in phosphodiester linkage. EC 6.5.1.3.	Polyribonucleotide Synthetase,tRNA Ligase,Ligase, tRNA,Synthetase, Polyribonucleotide
D003090	Coliphages	Viruses whose host is Escherichia coli.	Escherichia coli Phages,Coliphage,Escherichia coli Phage,Phage, Escherichia coli,Phages, Escherichia coli
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D004262	DNA Restriction Enzymes	Enzymes that are part of the restriction-modification systems. They catalyze the endonucleolytic cleavage of DNA sequences which lack the species-specific methylation pattern in the host cell's DNA. Cleavage yields random or specific double-stranded fragments with terminal 5'-phosphates. The function of restriction enzymes is to destroy any foreign DNA that invades the host cell. Most have been studied in bacterial systems, but a few have been found in eukaryotic organisms. They are also used as tools for the systematic dissection and mapping of chromosomes, in the determination of base sequences of DNAs, and have made it possible to splice and recombine genes from one organism into the genome of another. EC 3.21.1.	Restriction Endonucleases,DNA Restriction Enzyme,Restriction Endonuclease,Endonuclease, Restriction,Endonucleases, Restriction,Enzymes, DNA Restriction,Restriction Enzyme, DNA,Restriction Enzymes, DNA
D004926	Escherichia coli	A species of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (GRAM-NEGATIVE FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC RODS) commonly found in the lower part of the intestine of warm-blooded animals. It is usually nonpathogenic, but some strains are known to produce DIARRHEA and pyogenic infections. Pathogenic strains (virotypes) are classified by their specific pathogenic mechanisms such as toxins (ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI), etc.	Alkalescens-Dispar Group,Bacillus coli,Bacterium coli,Bacterium coli commune,Diffusely Adherent Escherichia coli,E coli,EAggEC,Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli,Enterococcus coli,Diffusely Adherent E. coli,Enteroaggregative E. coli,Enteroinvasive E. coli,Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli
D013379	Substrate Specificity	A characteristic feature of enzyme activity in relation to the kind of substrate on which the enzyme or catalytic molecule reacts.	Specificities, Substrate,Specificity, Substrate,Substrate Specificities