Establishment of a hybrid SalI-HgiDII type II restriction-modification system.

In the SalI system, endonuclease activity can be only achieved in the presence of a functional modification gene. Thus, the DNA methyltransferase is involved in the control of restriction. By fusion of the restriction gene of the SalI system to the modification gene of the isospecific HgiDII system a hybrid type II restriction-modification system was created. Although in the hybrid situation the level of endonuclease activity was significantly lower than in the natural system, the HgiDII modification enzyme clearly supports SalI restriction. The mechanism by which the two isospecific methyltransferases control restriction is currently under study.