Cleavage of Target DNA Promotes Sequence Conversion with a Tailed Duplex

Base sequence conversion in target DNA is achieved when a 5'-tailed duplex (TD) is introduced into cells. In this study, the effects of target DNA cleavage on sequence conversion with a TD were examined. Plasmid DNAs with and without cleavage near the target position were each introduced into HeLa cells, together with the TD. The cleavage promoted the sequence alteration efficiency by ca. 7-fold. These results suggested that the sequence conversion efficiency with the TD fragment is increased when an artificial nuclease introduces cleavage near the target site.