Restriction enzyme digestions are performed by incubating double-stranded DNA molecules with an appropriate amount of restriction enzyme, in its respective buffer as recommended by the supplier, and at the optimal temperature for that specific enzyme. The optimal sodium chloride concentration in the reaction varies for different enzymes, and a set of three standard buffers containing three concentrations of sodium chloride are prepared and used when necessary. Typical digestions included a unit of enzyme per microgram of starting DNA, and one enzyme unit usually (depending on the supplier) is defined as the amount of enzyme needed to completely digest one microgram of double-stranded DNA in one hour at the appropriate temperature. These reactions usually are incubated for 1-3 hours, to insure complete digestion, at the optimal temperature for enzyme activity, typically 37degC. See the Appendix for a listing of restriction sites present in the M13 (pUC) MCS and a listing of various restriction enzymes, incubation conditions and cut sites.
Protocol
1. Prepare the reaction for restriction digestion by adding the following reagents in the order listed to a microcentrifuge tube:
sterile ddH20 q.s (where "q.s." means quantity sufficient) 10X assay buffer one-tenth volume DNA x ul restriction enzyme* y ul (1-10 units per ug DNA) Total volume z ul
*If desired, more than one enzyme can be included in the digest if both enzymes are active in the same buffer and the same incubation temperature.
Note: The volume of the reaction depends on the amount and size of the DNA being digested. Larger DNAs should be digested in larger total volumes (between 50-100 ul), as should greater amounts of DNA.
Refer to the vendor's catalog for the chart of enzyme activity in a range of salt concentrations to choose the appropriate assay buffer (10X High, 10X Medium, or 10X Low Salt Buffers, or 10X SmaI Buffer for SmaI digestions). Restriction enzymes are purchased from Bethesda Research Laboratories, New England Biolabs, or United States Biochemicals.
2. Gently mix by pipetting and incubate the reaction at the appropriate temperature (typically 37degC) for 1-3 hours.
3. Inactivate the enzyme(s) by heating at 70-100degC for 10 minutes or by phenol extraction (see the vendor's catalog to determine the degree of heat inactivation for a given enzyme). Prior to use in further protocols such as dephosphorylation or ligation, an aliquot of the digestion should be assayed by agarose gel electrophoresis versus non-digested DNA and a size marker, if necessary.
Agarose gel electrophoresis (2) is employed to check the progression of a restriction enzyme digestion, to quickly determine the yield and purity of a DNA isolation or PCR reaction, and to size fractionate DNA molecules, which then could be eluted from the gel. Prior to gel casting, dried agarose is dissolved in buffer by heating and the warm gel solution then is poured into a mold (made by wrapping clear tape around and extending above the edges of an 18 cm X 18 cm glass plate), which is fitted with a well-forming comb. The percentage of agarose in the gel varied. Although 0.7% agarose gels typically are used, in cases where the accurate size fractionation of DNA molecules smaller than 1 kb is required, a 1, 1.5, or 2% agarose gel is prepared, depending on the expected size(s) of the fragment(s). Ethidium bromide is included in the gel matrix to enable fluorescent visualization of the DNA fragments under UV light. Agarose gels are submerged in electrophoresis buffer in a horizontal electrophoresis apparatus. The DNA samples are mixed with gel tracking dye and loaded into the sample wells. Electrophoresis usually is at 150 - 200 mA for 0.5-1 hour at room temperature, depending on the desired separation. When low-melting agarose is used for preparative agarose gels, electrophoresis is at 100-120 mA for 0.5-1 hour, again depending on the desired separation, and a fan is positioned such that the heat generated is rapidly dissipated. Size markers are co-electrophoresed with DNA samples, when appropriate for fragment size determination. Two size markers are used, phi-X 174 cleaved with restriction endonuclease HaeIII to identify fragments between 0.3-2 kb and lambda phage cleaved with restriction endonuclease HindIII to identify fragments between 2-23 kb. After electrophoresis, the gel is placed on a UV light box and a picture of the fluorescent ethidium bromide-stained DNA separation pattern is taken with a Polaroid camera.
Protocol
1. Prepare an agarose gel, according to recipes listed below, by combining the agarose (low gel temperature agarose may also be used) and water in a 500 ml Ehrlenmeyer flask, and heating in a microwave for 2-4 minutes until the agarose is dissolved.
0.7% 1.0% 2.0% agarose 1.05 g 1.5 g 3.0 g 20X TAE 7.5 ml 7.5 ml 7.5 ml ddH2O 142.5 ml 142.5 ml 142.5 ml EtBr (5 mg/ml) 25 ul 25 ul 25 ul total vol 150 ml 150 ml 150 ml
Genetic technology grade (800669) or low gel temperature (800259) agarose from Schwarz/Mann Biotech.
2. Add 20X TAE and ethidium bromide (EtBr), swirl to mix, and pour the gel onto a taped plate with casting combs in place. Allow 20-30 minutes for solidification.
3. Carefully remove the tape and the gel casting combs and place the gel in a horizontal electrophoresis apparatus. Add 1X TAE electrophoresis buffer to the reservoirs until the buffer just covers the agarose gel.
4. Add at least one-tenth volume of 10X agarose gel loading dye to each DNA sample, mix, and load into the wells. Electrophorese the gel at 150-200 mA until the required separation has been achieved, usually 0.5-1 hour (100-120 mA for low gel temperature agarose), and cool the gel during electrophoresis with a fan. Visualize the DNA fragments on a long wave UV light box and photograph with a Polaroid camera.
DNA fragments are eluted from low-melting temperature agarose gels using an unpublished procedure first developed by Dr. Roe. Here, the band of interest is excised with a sterile razor blade, placed in a microcentrifuge tube, frozen at -70degC, and then melted. Then, TE-saturated phenol is added to the melted gel slice, and the mixture again is frozen and then thawed. After this second thawing, the tube is centrifuged and the aqueous layer removed to a new tube. Residual phenol is removed with two ether extractions, and the DNA is concentrated by ethanol precipitation.
Protocol
1. Place excised DNA-containing agarose gel slice in a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube and freeze at -70degC for at least 15 minutes, or until frozen. It is possible to pause at this stage in the elution procedure and leave the gel slice frozen at -70degC.
2. Melt the slice by incubating the tube at 65degC.
3. Add one-volume of TE-saturated phenol, vortex for 30 seconds, and freeze the sample at -70degC for 15 minutes.
4. Thaw the sample, and centrifuge in a microcentrifuge at 12,000 rpm for 5 minutes at room temperature to separate the phases. The aqueous phase then is removed to a clean tube, extracted twice with equal volume ether, ethanol precipitated, and the DNA pellet is rinsed and dried.
Typical 5'-kinase labeling reactions included the DNA to be labeled, [[gamma]]-32-P-rATP, T4 polynucleotide kinase, and buffer (3). After incubation at 37degC, reactions are heat inactivated by incubation at 80degC. Portions of the reactions are mixed with gel loading dye and loaded into a well of a polyacrylamide gel and electrophoresed. The gel percentage and electrophoresis conditions varied depending on the sizes of the DNA molecules of interest. After electrophoresis, the gel is dried and exposed to x-ray film, as discussed below for radiolabeled DNA sequencing.
Protocol
1. Add the following reagents to a 0.5 ml microcentrifuge tube, in the order listed:
sterile ddH2O q.s 10X kinase buffer 1 ul DNA x ul [[gamma]]-[32-P]-rATP 10 uCi T4 polynucleotide kinase 1 ul (3U/ul) 10 ul
[[gamma]]-[32-P]-rATP (35020) ICN and T4 polynucleotide kinase (70031) from United States Biochemicals.
2. Incubate at 37degC for 30-60 minutes.
3. Heat the reaction at 65degC for 10 minutes to inactivate the kinase.