DNA manipulative enzymes can be grouped into four classes: nucleases, ligases, polymerases, and modifying enzymes. Nucleases break DNA phosphodiester bonds, including exonucleases which remove nucleotides from DNA ends and endonucleases which cleave internal bonds. Ligases seal DNA nicks using phosphodiester bonds. Polymerases synthesize new DNA strands using existing DNA or RNA as templates. Modifying enzymes alter DNA through addition or removal of chemical groups from nucleotides. These enzymes are essential tools for recombinant DNA technology.
2. The basis of recombinant DNA technology is the
ability to manipulate DNA molecules in the test tube.
Almost all DNA manipulative techniques make use of
purified enzymes.
Within the cell, these enzymes participate in
essential processes such as DNA replication &
transcription.
3. Types of DNA Manipulative
Enzymes
DNA manipulative enzymes can be grouped into four
broad classes depending on the type of reaction that
they catalyze:---
1. Nucleases
2. Ligases
3. Polymerases
4. Modifying enzymes
4. 1. Nucleases
Nucleases degrade DNA molecules by breaking the
phosphodiester bonds that link one nucleotide to the
next in a DNA strand.
Some nucleases are specific for DNA & some for
RNA.
There are two different kinds of nucleases:-
i. Exonucleases
ii. Endonucleases
5. i. Exonucleases
They remove nucleotides one at a time from the end
of a DNA molecule.
The main distinction b/w different exonucleases lies
in the number of strands that are degraded when a
double-stranded molecule is attacked.
A. Bal31:- It removes nucleotides from both strands of
a double-stranded molecule.
B. E.coli exonuclease III:- It removes nucleotides only
from 3 end of a double-stranded molecule.
C. Lambda exonuclease:- It removes nucleotides only
from 5 end of a double-stranded molecule.
8. ii. Endonucleases
They are able to break internal phosphodiester bonds
within a DNA molecule.
I. S1 endonuclease:- It cleaves only single-stranded DNA,
including single-stranded nicks in mainly double-
stranded DNA.
II. Deoxyribonuclease I(DNase I):- It cleaves both single- &
double- stranded DNA.
The special group of enzymes called Restriction
Endonucleases cleave double-stranded DNA only at a
specific recognition sites. It is also called molecular
scissor.
These enzymes are found in bacteria & archaea, &
provide a defense mechanism against invading viruses.
12. 2. Ligases
DNA ligase is used to seal the nicks that remain in the
DNA molecule by forming a phosphodiester bond.
It is also called molecular glue.
E.g., T polynucleotide ligase is prepared from E.coli
cells infected with T phage. It is involved in the
replication of phage DNA & is encoded by the T
bacteriophage.
The reaction requires energy which is provided by
adding ATP to the reaction mixture.
14. 3. Polymerases
DNA polymerases are enzymes that synthesize a new
strand of DNA complementary to an existing DNA or
RNA template.
Four types of DNA polymerases are used in genetic
engineering:---
a. DNA Pol I
b. DNA Pol II
c. DNA Pol III
d. Reverse Transcriptase
16. 4. DNA Modifying Enzymes
There are numerous enzymes that modify DNA molecules by
addition or removal of specific chemical groups.
They are also called End-modification enzymes.
The most important are as follows:---
I. Alkaline phosphatase:- It removes the phosphate group
present at the 5 terminus of a DNA molecule.
II. T polynucleotide kinase:- It adds phosphate groups to the
5 terminus.
III. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase:- It adds one or more
deoxyribonucleotides to the 3 terminus of a single- &
double-stranded DNA molecule. This is called Tailing.
IV. Topoisomerases:- It introduce or remove supercoils from
covalently closed circular DNA.