restrict

Function

Description

Restrict uses the REBASE database of restriction enzymes to predict cut sites in a DNA sequence. The program allows you to select a range of cuts, whether the DNA is circular, whether IUB ambiguity codes are used, whether blunt or sticky ends or both are reported. You may also force the reporting of single cleavage sites.

By default, only one of any group of isoschizomers (enzymes that have the same recognition site and cut positions) is reported (this behaviour can be turned off by setting the qualifier '-limit' to be false.) The reported enzyme from any one group of isoschizomers (the prototype) is specified in the REBASE database and the information is held in the data file 'embossre.equ'. You may edit this file to set your own preferred prototype,if you wish.

Usage

Command line arguments


Input file format

restrict reads one or more DNA sequence USAs.

Output file format

By default restrict writes a 'table' report file.

The output from restrict is a simple text one. The base number, restriction enzyme name, recognition site and cut positions are shown. Note that cuts are always to the right of the residue shown and that 5' cuts are referred to by their associated 3' number sequence.

The program reports enzymes that cut at two or four sites. The program also reports isoschizomers and enzymes having the same recognition sequence but different cut sites.

When the "-fragments" or "-solofragments" qualifiers are given then the sizes of the fragments produced by either all of the specified enzymes cutting, or by each enzyme cutting individually, are given in the 'tail' section at the end of the report file.

Data files

Notes

Output file size is related to the size of the recognition site and the maximum number of allowed cutting positions. Setting the site length to six and restricting the cuts to two is a common choice of parameters. The size of the output can sometimes be reduced by specifying the -noambiguity switch.

The data files must have been created before running this program. This is done by running the rebaseextract program with the "withrefm" and "prot" files from an REBASE release. You may have to ask your system manager to do this.

References

  1. Nucleic Acids Research 27: 312-313 (1999).

Warnings

The program will warn you if a protein sequence is given.

Diagnostic Error Messages

None.

Exit status

It exits with status 0 unless an error is reported.

Known bugs

None.

Author(s)

History

Target users

Comments