Biomaterial Database

Predominant mutations induced by the Thermococcus litoralis, vent DNA polymerase during DNA amplification in vitro. 1993

P Keohavong, and L Ling, and C Dias, and W G Thilly

Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.

We have analyzed the predominant mutations created during DNA amplification by PCR utilizing a DNA polymerase isolated from the Thermococcus litoralis (Vent DNA polymerase). Exon 3 of the human hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) gene was amplified using conditions optimized for efficiency of DNA amplification. The resulting PCR product was subjected to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to separate polymerase-induced mutant sequences from correctly amplified sequences. The nature of induced mutations was determined by isolating and sequencing the mutant sequences from the gel. Eighteen predominant mutations were found in the 104-bp low temperature melting domain of exon 3 and consisted of 16 A/T to G/C transitions, a G/C to T/A transversion and a complex 4-bp deletion. Thus, the Vent exonuclease proofreading activity seems to affect all misincorporation events with apparently equal probability (i.e., by a factor of five). The comparison of the error rates between analogues of Vent DNA polymerase proficient and deficient in the proofreading 3'-->5' exonuclease activity indicates that the lack of proofreading resulting in an approximate five-fold increase in induced error rate. However, the similarity of the patterns of the mutant sequences observed in DGGE suggested that both enzymes created predominantly the same kinds of mutations and at the same positions in this DNA template under the in vitro reaction conditions studied. This predominance of A/T to G/C transition is also a characteristic of the Taq DNA polymerase, although the positions of most errors induced by both enzymes are not identical.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D009154	Mutation	Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations.	Mutations
D009692	Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes	Double-stranded nucleic acid molecules (DNA-DNA or DNA-RNA) which contain regions of nucleotide mismatches (non-complementary). In vivo, these heteroduplexes can result from mutation or genetic recombination; in vitro, they are formed by nucleic acid hybridization. Electron microscopic analysis of the resulting heteroduplexes facilitates the mapping of regions of base sequence homology of nucleic acids.	Heteroduplexes, Nucleic Acid,Heteroduplex DNA,Acid Heteroduplexes, Nucleic,DNA, Heteroduplex
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
D004259	DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase	DNA-dependent DNA polymerases found in bacteria, animal and plant cells. During the replication process, these enzymes catalyze the addition of deoxyribonucleotide residues to the end of a DNA strand in the presence of DNA as template-primer. They also possess exonuclease activity and therefore function in DNA repair.	DNA Polymerase,DNA Polymerases,DNA-Dependent DNA Polymerases,DNA Polymerase N3,DNA Dependent DNA Polymerases,DNA Directed DNA Polymerase,DNA Polymerase, DNA-Directed,DNA Polymerases, DNA-Dependent,Polymerase N3, DNA,Polymerase, DNA,Polymerase, DNA-Directed DNA,Polymerases, DNA,Polymerases, DNA-Dependent DNA
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D016133	Polymerase Chain Reaction	In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships.	Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain
D019914	Taq Polymerase	A heat stable DNA-DIRECTED DNA POLYMERASE from the bacteria Thermus aquaticus. It is widely used for the amplification of genes through the process of POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION. EC 2.7.7.-.	Taq DNA Polymerase,Taq1 Polymerase,Thermus aquaticus Polymerase,DNA Polymerase, Taq,Polymerase, Taq,Polymerase, Taq DNA,Polymerase, Taq1,Polymerase, Thermus aquaticus,aquaticus Polymerase, Thermus
D021141	Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques	Laboratory techniques that involve the in-vitro synthesis of many copies of DNA or RNA from one original template.	DNA Amplification Technic,DNA Amplification Technique,DNA Amplification Techniques,Nucleic Acid Amplification Technic,Nucleic Acid Amplification Technique,RNA Amplification Technic,RNA Amplification Technique,RNA Amplification Techniques,Amplification Technics, Nucleic Acid,Amplification Techniques, Nucleic Acid,DNA Amplification Technics,Nucleic Acid Amplification Technics,Nucleic Acid Amplification Test,Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests,RNA Amplification Technics,Technics, Nucleic Acid Amplification,Techniques, Nucleic Acid Amplification,Amplification Technic, DNA,Amplification Technic, RNA,Amplification Technics, DNA,Amplification Technics, RNA,Amplification Technique, DNA,Amplification Technique, RNA,Amplification Techniques, DNA,Amplification Techniques, RNA,Technic, DNA Amplification,Technic, RNA Amplification,Technics, DNA Amplification,Technics, RNA Amplification,Technique, DNA Amplification,Technique, RNA Amplification,Techniques, DNA Amplification,Techniques, RNA Amplification