Nicking enzyme
Encyclopedia
A nicking enzyme is an enzyme
that cuts one strand of a double-stranded DNA
at a specific recognition nucleotide
sequences known as a restriction site. Such enzymes hydrolyse, cut, only one strand of the DNA duplex, to produce DNA molecules that are “nicked”, rather than cleaved.
Their discovery can be used for strand-displacement amplification, Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction
, exonucleotyic degradation, or the creation of small gaps. Over 200 nicking enzymes have been studied, and 13 of these are available commercially and are routinely used for research and in commercial products.
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
that cuts one strand of a double-stranded DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
at a specific recognition nucleotide
Nucleotide
Nucleotides are molecules that, when joined together, make up the structural units of RNA and DNA. In addition, nucleotides participate in cellular signaling , and are incorporated into important cofactors of enzymatic reactions...
sequences known as a restriction site. Such enzymes hydrolyse, cut, only one strand of the DNA duplex, to produce DNA molecules that are “nicked”, rather than cleaved.
Their discovery can be used for strand-displacement amplification, Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction
Nicking enzyme amplification reaction
Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction is a method for in vitro DNA amplification like the polymerase chain reaction . NEAR is isothermal, replicating DNA at a constant temperature using a polymerase to exponentially amplify the DNA at a temperature range of 55 °C to 59 °C.The disadvantage of PCR...
, exonucleotyic degradation, or the creation of small gaps. Over 200 nicking enzymes have been studied, and 13 of these are available commercially and are routinely used for research and in commercial products.