Ligase-mediated construction of branched DNA strands: a novel DNA joining activity catalyzed by T4 DNA ligase

Branched nucleic acid strands exist as intermediates in certain biological reactions, and bifurcating DNA also presents interesting opportunities in biotechnological applications. We describe here how T4 DNA ligase can be used for efficient construction of DNA molecules having one 5′ end but two distinct 3′ ends that extend from the 2′ and 3′ carbons, respectively, of an internal nucleotide. The nature of the reaction products is investigated, and optimal reaction conditions are reported for the construction of branched oligonucleotides. We discuss the utility of these branched DNA nanostructures for gene detection