Bioinformatic and partial functional analysis of pEspA and pEspB, two plasmids from Exiguobacterium arabatum sp. nov. RFL1109.

The complete nucleotide sequences of two plasmids from Exiguobacterium arabatum sp. nov. RFL1109, pEspA (4563bp) and pEspB (38,945bp), have been determined.

Generation of DNA cleavage specificities of type II restriction endonucleases by reassortment of target recognition domains.

Type II restriction endonucleases (REases) cleave double-stranded DNA at specific sites within or close to their recognition sequences. Shortly after their discovery in 1970, REases have become one of the primary tools in molecular biology. However, the list of available specificities of type II REases is relatively short despite the extensive search for them in natural sources and multiple attempts to artificially change their specificity.