[16] Mass screening for mutants with altered DNases by microassay techniques

This chapter describes the techniques that are intended to streamline the brute-force approach to the isolation of bacterial mutants, in which the mutants are identified through individual enzyme assays on large numbers of clones with no biological selection or enrichment.

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the techniques that are intended to streamline the brute-force approach to the isolation of bacterial mutants, in which the mutants are identified through individual enzyme assays on large numbers of clones with no biological selection or enrichment. The methods commonly used by geneticists for the isolation of bacterial mutants, namely direct selection, selective enrichment, and replica plating, presuppose a knowledge of the biological properties of the desired mutants. The brute-force approach has been brought into the realm of feasibility by the existence of potent mutagenic agents. This approach is sufficiently laborious and so it is not widely used, despite its virtual certainty of success. The chapter aims to simplify the methodology of mass screening for mutant enzymes to the point where it will become as easy as many other techniques now used by geneticists.