A technique allowing the use of small amounts of DNA for efficient DNA-directed chemistry has been developed by scientists in Germany.
Oliver Seitz and Alexander Roloff at the Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany have made it possible to use incredibly small amounts of nucleic acids in important DNA-directed reactions.
DNA-directed chemistry is used in applications as diverse as nanowire synthesis and light harvesters to drug screening and diagnostics. This includes DNA-directed ligation reactions, in which two molecules are chemically joined. However, gaining enough of a particular DNA sequence from biological sources is challenging. Living organisms usually produce only small amounts and these may not be exactly uniform in nature.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the answer to this availability problem. PCR uses the enzyme polymerase to copy a small sample of DNA – the template – and make multiple copies of it with high accuracy and efficiency.
Read the full Chemistry World article or read the Chemical Science article in full:
Article Bioorthogonal reactions challenged: DNA templated native chemical ligation during PCR
Alexander Roloff and Oliver Seitz
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2SC20961F
DNA templated native chemical ligation during PCR
