An efficient method for creating a DNA library is presented in which gene mutagenesis and recombination can be introduced
by integrating error-prone PCR with a staggered extension process in one test tube. In this process, less than 15 cycles of
error-prone PCR are used to introduce random mutations. After precipitated and washed with ethanol solution, the error-prone
PCR product is directly used both as template and primers in the following staggered extension process to introduce DNA recombination.
The method was validated by using adenosyl-methionine (AdoMet) synthetase gene,
sam1, as a model. The full-length target DNA fragment was available after a single round. After being selected with a competitive
inhibitor, ethionine, a mutated gene was obtained that increased AdoMet accumulation in vivo by 56%.
Keywords AdoMet synthetase - Directed evolution - DNA recombination - Error-prone PCR - S-adenosylmethionine