Site specific endonucleases for human genome mapping. Final report, April 1, 1992--March 31, 1994

Current large scale genome mapping methodology suffers from a lack of tools for generating specific DNA fragments in the megabase size range. While technology such as pulsed field gel electrophoresis can resolve DNA fragments greater than 10 megabases in size, current methods for cleaving mammalian DNA using bacterial restriction enzymes are incapable of producing such fragments. Though several multidimensional approaches are underway to overcome this limitation, there currently is no single step procedure to generate specific DNA fragments in the 2-100 megabase size range. In order to overcome these limitations, we proposed to develop a family of site-specific endonucleases capable of generating DNA fragments in the 2-100 megabase size range in a single step. Additionally, we proposed to accomplish this by relaxing the specificity of a very-rare cutting intron-encoded endonucleases, I-Ppo I, and potentially using the process as a model for development of other enzymes. Our research has uncovered a great deal of information about intron-encoded endonucleases. We have found that I-Ppo I has a remarkable ability to tolerate degeneracy within its recognition sequence, and we have shown that the recognition sequence is larger than 15 base pairs. These findings suggest that a detailed study of the mechanism by which intron-encoded endonucleases recognize their target sequences should provide new sights into DNA-protein interactions; this had led to a continuation of the study of I-Ppo I in Dr. Raines` laboratory and we expect a more detailed understanding of the mechanism of I-Ppo I action to result