Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

07:04
Site-Directed Mutagenesis for In Vitro and In Vivo Experiments Exemplified with RNA Interactions in Escherichia Coli
Published on: February 5, 2019
Oligonucleotide recombination enabled site-specific mutagenesis in bacteria.
1United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, USA. Bryan.Swingle@ars.usda.gov
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|February 21, 2013
Summary
This study introduces oligonucleotide recombination, a precise bacterial genome engineering method. This technique enables targeted DNA modifications in vivo without external genetic elements.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Recombineering is a DNA engineering strategy utilizing homologous recombination.
- It allows for rapid and precise modifications of bacterial genomes in vivo.
- Oligonucleotide recombination is a specific type of recombineering using single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligonucleotides.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a basic technique for site-specific genomic mutation construction.
- To demonstrate the utility of oligonucleotide recombination in Pseudomonas syringae.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing ssDNA oligonucleotides to direct chromosomal mutations.
- Employing a specialized mode of homologous recombination (recombineering).
- Performing in vivo genome engineering without exogenous functions.
Main Results:
- Successfully constructed a site-specific genomic mutation in Pseudomonas syringae.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of oligonucleotide recombination in this bacterial species.
- Validated the technique's ability to introduce precise genetic changes.
Conclusions:
- Oligonucleotide recombination is an effective method for bacterial genome engineering.
- The described technique is potentially applicable to various bacterial species.
- This approach offers a powerful tool for precise genetic modification in vivo.
Related Concept Videos
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Homologous Recombination
The basic reaction of homologous recombination (HR) involves two chromatids that contain DNA sequences sharing a significant stretch of identity. One of these sequences uses a strand from another as a template to synthesize DNA in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The final product is a novel amalgamation of the two substrates. To ensure an accurate recombination of sequences, HR is restricted to the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. At these stages, the DNA has been replicated already and the...
Mismatch Repair
Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Mutations in Microorganisms
Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...
Antibiotic Selection
Overview
Gene Conversion
Other than maintaining genome stability via DNA repair, homologous recombination plays an important role in diversifying the genome. In fact, the recombination of sequences forms the molecular basis of genomic evolution. Random and non-random permutations of genomic sequences create a library of new amalgamated sequences. These newly formed genomes can determine the fitness and survival of cells. In bacteria, homologous and non-homologous types of recombination lead to the evolution of new...
