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Title: Cloning of an origin of DNA replication of Xenopus laevis

Journal Article · · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

DNA fragments of Xenopus laevis, the African frog, were cloned in the EcoRI site of the Eschrichia coli plasmid pACYC189 and tested for ability to initiate and complete replication of the recombinant plasmid when injected into unfertilized eggs of X. laevis. After measurement of the (/sup 3/H)-thymidine incorporation per egg for a number of recombinant plasmids, pSW14 and pSW9, which respectively contain a small segment (550 base pairs) and several kilobases of frog DNA, were selected for more extensive analysis. In spite of the small size of th segment in pSW14, it incorporates in 2 hr at least 3 times as much labeled thymidine as either pSW9 or the vector alone. To determine the number of replications of pSW14, a novel method was employed. The results showed that about 50% of the labeled, supercoiled DNA recovered from eggs after 4 hr was sensitive to EcoRI digestion, which indicates that most of the DNA that incorporated (/sup 3/H)thymidine had replicated twice during the 4 hr in the unfertilized eggs of X. laevis. We conclude the pSW14 has a functional origin in the Xenopus DNA segment.

Research Organization:
Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-S-05-2690
OSTI ID:
7099115
Journal Information:
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Vol. 77:9
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English