Mismatch and blunt to protruding-end joining by DNA ligases

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Abstract
A nuclear DNA ligase activity from immature chicken erythrocytea, and to a leaser extent T4-induced DNA ligase, can join cohesive-ends (3 and 5-nucleotides long) having one of the mismatches, A/A, T/T, C/C, G/G, at the middle position. The rate of ligation depends on the length and stability of the mispaired intermediate (G/G, T/T > A/A, C/C). When the non-complementary overhanging-ends are short (i.e. 1-nucleotide) both ligasea catalyze the joining of the single-stranded protruding-end with a blunt-end. This reaction occurs at low but significant rates compared to blunt-end ligation. The chicken ligase has lower flush-end joining activity than T4 DNA ligase, but it is more permissive since it joins C/C or A/A miamatched-ends, whereas the prokaryotic ligase does not. Possible biological implications of the reactions are discussed. We have also found that BatEIl easily cleaves at sites harboring a C/C or a G/G mismatch at the center of its recognition sequence, whereas AvaII (T/T or A/A), HinfI (G/G) and Ddel (G/G) do not.