Abstract: The present invention is directed to DNA polymerase fusion proteins with increased processivity and nucleic acid affinity. The invention includes a fusion protein comprising a nucleic acid-binding domain fused to a polymerase domain. The nucleic acid binding domain contains at least one nucleic acid binding motif, such as a DNA-binding motif or an RNA-binding motif. The nucleic acid binding domain preferably embodies an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding (OB) fold, among other conformations. The invention further includes methods of synthesizing nucleic acids using the fusion proteins described herein.

Abstract: Thermostable viral and microbial polymerases exhibiting a combination of activities selected from proofreading (3?-5?) exonuclease activity, nick translating (5?-3?) nuclease activity, synthetic primer-initiated polymerase activity, nick-initiated polymerase activity, reverse transcriptase activity, strand displacement activity, terminal transferase activity, primase activity, and/or efficient incorporation of chain terminating analogs. Some of the polymerases provided herein include a first motif and a second motif. The first motif preferably has the sequence X1X2X3DX4PX5IELRX6X7X8, wherein X1 is I or V; X4 is F or Y; X8 is G or A; and X2, X3, X5, X6, and X7 are any amino acid. The second motif preferably has the sequence RX9X10X11KSANX12GX13X14YG, wherein X11 is G or A; X12 is F, L, or Y; X13 is L or V; X14 is I or L; and X9 and X10 are any amino acid.

Abstract: Thermostable viral polymerases exhibiting a combination of activities selected from, proofreading (3?-5?) exonuclease activity, nick translating (5?-3?) nuclease activity, synthetic primer-initiated polymerase activity, nick-initiated polymerase activity, reverse transcriptase activity, strand displacement activity, and/or decreased discrimination against incorporation of nucleotide analogs. Also provided are compositions including the polymerases, polynucleotides encoding the polymerases and methods of using the polymerases.

Abstract: Vector preparations and cloning constructs suitable for use in cloning are provided. Vector preparations are double-stranded DNA molecules having two 3? termini, each terminus having a single base pair overhang that is capable of hybridizing to a single base pair overhang on a double stranded polynucleotide sequence to be cloned. The overhang of the vector preparation is suitably a dCMP and the overhang of the polynucleotide sequence to be cloned is suitably a dGMP. In other embodiments, the overhang of the polynucleotide sequence to be cloned is any ddNTP and the corresponding overhang of the vector preparation is any base that pairs to the ddNTP. The latter embodiment is particularly suited to preparing recombinant molecules having only a single insert. Methods of cloning, methods of preparing libraries of recombinant molecules and kits for carrying out the methods are also provided.

Abstract: Thermostable viral polymerases exhibiting a combination of activities selected from, proofreading (3?-5?) exonuclease activity, nick translating (5?-3?) nuclease activity, synthetic primer-initiated polymerase activity, nick-initiated polymerase activity, reverse transcriptase activity, strand displacement activity, and/or decreased discrimination against incorporation of nucleotide analogs. Also provided are compositions including the polymerases, polynucleotides encoding the polymerases and methods of using the polymerases.

Abstract: Vector preparations and cloning constructs suitable for use in cloning are provided. Vector preparations are double-stranded DNA molecules having two 3? termini, each terminus having a single base pair overhang that is capable of hybridizing to a single base pair overhang on a double stranded polynucleotide sequence to be cloned. The overhang of the vector preparation is suitably a dCMP and the overhang of the polynucleotide sequence to be cloned is suitably a dGMP. In other embodiments, the overhang of the polynucleotide sequence to be cloned is any ddNTP and the corresponding overhang of the vector preparation is any base that pairs to the ddNTP. The latter embodiment is particularly suited to preparing recombinant molecules having only a single insert. Methods of cloning, methods of preparing libraries of recombinant molecules and kits for carrying out the methods are also provided.