Biomics

If DNA is considered the most important molecule among biopolymers, then DNA polymerase is undoubtedly the most important enzyme of nucleic metabolism. Moreover, not only in wildlife, ensuring the continuation of Life, but also in experimental studies in the in vitro system in the field of molecular biology and in related disciplines, in which, one way or another, DNA molecules are involved, including amplification of their specific sites, which is widely used in various diagnostics. At the same time, for these purposes, thermostable enzymes are required that can withstand prolonged heating at 95°C. Many similar enzymes have been isolated from thermophilic eubacteria and archaea. The first enzyme discovered in E.coli 70 years ago was DNA polymerase I. 20 years later (50 years ago), the enzyme Taq polymerase was isolated from the thermophilic eubacterium Thermus aquaticus. 35 years ago, a more thermostable Pfu polymerase was isolated from the archaea Pyrococcus furiosus. This issue of the electronic journal Biomics, published for him in the fifteenth anniversary year, contains several articles on DNA polymerases, which makes this issue of the journal essentially thematic. Also, the chemical synthesis of oligonucleotides is not ignored, without which PCR is simply impossible.

DNA, DNA polymerase, thermostable DNA polymerase, PCR, chemical synthesis of oligonucleotides

1. 1. Chien A, Edgar DB, Trela JM. Deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus. J Bacteriol. 1976. 127(3). 1550-1557. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1550-1557.1976
   2. Garafutdinov R.R., Nikonorov Yu.M., Sakhabutdinova A.R. et al. Enzymatic synthesis of oligonucleotides. Biomics. 2025. 17(4). doi: P.337-351. doi: 10.31301/2221-6197.bmcs.2025-30 (In Russian)
   3. Joyce CM, Grindley ND. Construction of a plasmid that overproduces the large proteolytic fragment (Klenow fragment) of DNA polymerase I of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1983. 80(7). 1830-1834. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.7.1830
   4. Joyce CM, Kelley WS, Grindley ND. Nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli polA gene and primary structure of DNA polymerase I. J Biol Chem. 1982. 257(4). 1958-1964. doi: 10.1016/S0021-9258(19)68132-9
   5. Kaledin AS, Slyusarenko AG, Gorodetskyj SI. Isolation and properties of DNA polymerase from extremal thermophylic bacteria Thermus aquaticus Biochemistry (Moscow). 1980. 45(4). 644-651. (In Russian)
   6. Kaledin AS, Slyusarenko AG, Gorodetskyj SI. Isolation and properties of DNA polymerase from extremal thermophylic bacteria Thermus flavus. Biochemistry (Moscow). 46(9). 1576-1581. (In Russian)
   7. Kaledin AS, Slyusarenko AG, Gorodetskyj SI. Isolation and properties of DNA-polymerase from extremal thermophylic bacteria Thermus ruber. Biochemistry (Moscow). 47(11). 1785-1791. (In Russian)
   8. Klimczak LJ, Grummt F, Burger KJ. Purification and characterization of DNA polymerase from the archaebacterium Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Biochemistry. 1986. 25(17). 4850-4855. doi: 10.1021/bi00365a019
   9. Kogan SC, Doherty M, Gitschier J. An improved method for prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases by analysis of amplified DNA sequences. Application to hemophilia A. New Engl. J. Med. 1987. 317(16). 985-990. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198710153171603
   10. Kornberg A, Lehman IR, Simms ES. Polydesoxyribonucleotide synthesis by enzyme from Escherichia coli. Federation Proc. 1956. 15(1). 291-292.
   11. Lundberg KS, Shoemaker DD, Adams MW et al. High-fidelity amplification using a thermostable DNA polymerase isolated from Pyrococcus furiosus. Gene. 1991. 108(1). 1-6. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(91)90480-y
   12. Michelson AM, Todd AR. Nucleotides part XXXII. Synthesis of a dithymidine dinucleotide containing a 3′: 5′-internucleotidic linkage. Chem. Soc. 1955. (0). 2632-2638. doi: 10.1039/JR9550002632
   13. Saiki RK, Gelfand DH, Stoffel S et al. Primer-directed enzymatic amplification of DNA with a thermostable DNA polymerase. Science. 1988. 239(4839). 487-491. doi: 10.1126/science.2448875
   14. Saiki RK, Scharf S, Faloona F et al. Enzymatic amplification of beta-globin genomic sequences and restriction site analysis for diagnosis of sickle cell anemia. Science. 1985. 230(4732). 1350-1354. doi: 10.1126/science.2999980