Anicking enzyme (ornicking endonuclease) is an enzyme that cuts one strand of a double-stranded DNA or RNA[1] at a specific recognition nucleotide sequences known as a restriction site. Such enzymes hydrolyse (cut) only one strand of the DNA duplex, to produce DNA molecules that are “nicked”, rather than cleaved.[2][3]
They can be used for strand-displacement amplification,[4] Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction, exonucleotyic degradation, the creation of small gaps,[5]ornick translation.[6] The latter process has been successfully used to incorporate both radioactively labelled nucleotides and fluorescent nucleotides allowing specific regions on a double stranded DNA to be studied.[6][7] Over 200 nicking enzymes have been studied, and 13 of these are available commercially[8] and are routinely used for research and in commercial products.
