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Updated: Jul 26, 2026

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli
Published on: March 16, 2011
Design and implementation of computational systems based on programmed mutagenesis
1Laboratory for Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA. jkhodor@mit.edu
Abstract:
In a new system for DNA computation called programmed mutagenesis, DNA strands are rewritten according to 'rules' that are sequence specific. In a programmed mutagenesis reaction DNA sequences undergo programmed changes, and these changes are implemented by an in-vitro mutagenesis system that is based on thermal cycling the rewriting reaction. We describe experimental results that demonstrate the key aspects of programmed mutagenesis. These results include the creation of full-length product DNA molecules that have embedded rewriting, the ability for later sequence changes to depend on earlier sequence changes, and the ability for multiple oligonucleotides to be active in close proximity on a template sequence. We also discuss the application of programmed mutagenesis to computational problems.
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