Protein engineering: single or multiple site-directed mutagenesis

Methods Mol Biol. 2013:978:173-86. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-293-3_13.

Abstract

Site-directed mutagenesis techniques are invaluable tools in molecular biology to study the structural and functional properties of a protein. To expedite the time required and simplify methods for mutagenesis, we recommend two protocols in this chapter. The first method for single site-directed mutagenesis, which includes point mutations, insertions, or deletions, can be achieved by an inverse PCR strategy with mutagenic primers and the high-fidelity Phusion(®) DNA Polymerase to introduce a site-directed mutation with exceptional efficiency. The second method is for engineering multiple mutations into a gene of interest. This can be completed in one step by PCR with mutagenic primers and by assembling all mutagenized PCR products using the Gibson Assembly™ Master Mix. This method allows multiple nucleotides to be changed simultaneously, which not only saves time but also reagents compared to traditional methods of mutagenesis.

MeSH terms

  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed / methods*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Protein Engineering / methods*