A Short History of the Restriction Enzymes Wil A
Published online 18 October 2013 Nucleic Acids Research, 2014, Vol. 42, No. 1 3–19 doi:10.1093/nar/gkt990 NAR Breakthrough Article SURVEY AND SUMMARY Highlights of the DNA cutters: a short history of the restriction enzymes Wil A. M. Loenen1,*, David T. F. Dryden2,*, Elisabeth A. Raleigh3,*, Geoffrey G. Wilson3,* and Noreen E. Murrayy 1Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands, 2EaStChemSchool of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, Scotland, UK and 3New England Biolabs, Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA Received August 14, 2013; Revised September 24, 2013; Accepted October 2, 2013 ABSTRACT Type II REases represent the largest group of characterized enzymes owing to their usefulness as tools for recombinant In the early 1950’s, ‘host-controlled variation in DNA technology, and they have been studied extensively. bacterial viruses’ was reported as a non-hereditary Over 300 Type II REases, with >200 different sequence- phenomenon: one cycle of viral growth on certain specificities, are commercially available. Far fewer Type I, bacterial hosts affected the ability of progeny virus III and IV enzymes have been characterized, but putative to grow on other hosts by either restricting or examples are being identified daily through bioinformatic enlarging their host range. Unlike mutation, this analysis of sequenced genomes (Table 1). change was reversible, and one cycle of growth in Here we present a non-specialists perspective on import- the previous host returned the virus to its original ant events in the discovery and understanding of REases. form. These simple observations heralded the dis- Studies of these enzymes have generated a wealth of covery of the endonuclease and methyltransferase information regarding DNA–protein interactions and catalysis, protein family relationships, control of restric- activities of what are now termed Type I, II, III and tion activity and plasticity of protein domains, as well IV DNA restriction-modification systems.
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