Recombinant fragment assay for gene targetting based on the polymerase chain reaction

The modification of chromosomal genes by homologous recombination between exogenous DNA and a target locus provides a powerful approach to the study of gene function. One of the current limitations of this gene targetting is the difficulty of identifying cells containing the correctly modified target locus when the modified gene is not amenable to either direct or indirect selection. We here describe a procedure for identifying correctly modified cells that depends on amplifying by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) predictable fragments of DNA present only in the desired recombinants. This recombinant fragment assay can detect targetted modification using only a few cells, either alone or mixed with tens of thousands of unmodified cells; it does not depend on the phenotype of the modified gene, or on its expression in the target cells. The PCR amplification needed for the procedure is carried out with a heat stable polymerase and a simple automatic temperature-shift apparatus which is described.