Refolding of denatured restriction endonucleases with ribosomal preparations from Methanosarcina barkeri

Two restriction endonucleases, EcoRI and HindIII were denatured by guanidine HC1 or by storing at room temperature denatured by guanidine HC1 or by storing at room temperature (28 degrees C) for several days. The activity of these enzymes could be restored by incubating with ribosomal preparations from an archaebacterium Methanosarcina barkeri. These results hint at a possible role of ribosomal preparations in folding polypeptides and could be useful in working with restriction enzymes in experiments on genetic engineering and molecular biology.