Kinase-catalyzed biotinylation of DNA

Prior work documented use of γ-phosphate modified ATP analogs to label DNA using T4 polynucleotide kinases (T4PNK), although applications have been limited. To fully characterize kinase-catalyzed labeling of nucleic acids, we explored use of ATP-biotin as a cosubstrate with T4PNK. T4PNK accepted ATP-biotin to 5'-label single stranded DNA. However, T4PNK-mediated labeling of double stranded substrates was low yielding. In addition, the phosphoramidate bond connecting the biotin group to the DNA was unstable. These results suggest that kinase-catalyzed biotinylation will be useful with single stranded DNA substrates and mild reaction conditions. By revealing the scope and limitations of kinase-catalyzed biotinylation, these studies provide a foundation for future development and application of kinase-catalyzed labeling to DNA-based biological studies.