A nicking enzyme (or nicking
endonuclease) is an
enzyme that cuts one strand of a double-stranded
DNA or RNA[1] 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.[2][3]
They can be used for strand-displacement amplification,[4]Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction, exonucleotyic degradation, the creation of small gaps,[5] or
nick translation.[6] The latter process has been successfully used to incorporate both radioactively labelled nucleotides and fluorescent nucleotides allowing specific regions on a double stranded DNA to be studied.[6][7] Over 200 nicking enzymes have been studied, and 13 of these are available commercially[8] and are routinely used for research and in commercial products.
References
^Wang X, Zhu B (22 May 2024). "SARS-CoV-2 nsp15 preferentially degrades AU-rich dsRNA via its dsRNA nickase activity". Nucleic Acids Research. 52 (9): 5257–5272.
^Ando T; et al. (July 1969). "Isolation and characterization of enzymes with nicking action from phage T4-infected Escherichia coli". J. Biochem. 66 (1): 1–10.
doi:
10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a129107.
PMID4309718.
^Morgan RD, Kong H, et al. (November 2000). "Characterization of the specific DNA nicking activity of restriction endonuclease N.BstNBI". Biol. Chem. 381 (11): 1123–5.
doi:
10.1515/BC.2000.137.
PMID11154070.
S2CID22472698.
^Wang H, Hays JB (October 2001). "Simple and rapid preparation of gapped plasmid DNA for incorporation of oligomers containing specific DNA lesions". Mol. Biotechnol. 19 (2): 133–40.
doi:
10.1385/MB:19:2:133.
PMID11725483.
S2CID22156627.
^
abRigby PW, Dieckmann M, Rhodes C, Berg P (June 1977). "Labeling deoxyribonucleic acid to high specific activity in vitro by nick translation with DNA polymerase I". J. Mol. Biol. 113 (1): 237–51.
doi:
10.1016/0022-2836(77)90052-3.
PMID881736.