Protocols

Ex vivo DNA assembly

Introduction

We developed a DNA assembly system purely based on parts homology, which only uses E. coli lysate to carry out the reaction. Our work builds on the previous research by (...) which was published as the SLiCE and Ex vivo assembly method. The concept is very similar to that of a Gibson method: the parts to be assembled contain an overlapping homology region, which allows homologous recombination to occur. While the Gibson assembly utilises an expensive piece of kit, containing a 3' to 5' exonuclease, a DNA polymerase to fill the gaps and a ligase to seal the nick. The Ex vivo, as we like to call it "E.G., or E. coli gratiae" only uses E. coli lysate to carry out this reaction. The lysate in fact does contain all the cellular machinery necessary to recognise a homology and to repair DNA. This process if facilitated when the lysate contains three lambda proteins, which can be easily expressed in the strains used to produce it. These are the same protein that allow Lambda Red Recombineering Knock-Outs, i.e. Gam, Exo and Beta, which respectively protect linear DNA from RecBCD nuclease activity, cleave DNA 3' to 5' and promote annealing of complementary single strands.

Protocol

Results