Heat Inactivation
Heat inactivation is a convenient method for stopping a restriction endonuclease reaction. Incubation at 65°C for 20 minutes inactivates the majority of restriction endonucleases that have an optimal incubation temperature of 37°C. Enzymes that cannot be inactivated at 65°C can often be inactivated by incubation at 80°C for 20 minutes. The table below indicates whether or not an enzyme can be heat inactivated and the temperature needed to do so.
Heat inactivation was performed as follows to approximate a typical experiment. A 50 µl reaction mixture containing the appropriate NEBuffer, 0.5 µg of calf thymus DNA, and 5 or 10 µl of restriction endonuclease (at selling concentration) was incubated at 37°C for 60 minutes and then at 65°C or 80°C for 20 minutes. 0.5 µg of substrate DNA (usually lambda) was added to the reaction mixture and incubated at the optimal reaction temperature of the enzyme for 60 minutes. Any digestion (complete or partial) of the substrate DNA after the second incubation, as seen by agarose gel electrophoresis, was interpreted as incomplete heat inactivation.
| A
| B | C
| D | E
| F | H
| K | M
| N | P
| R | S
| T | X
| Z |
| Enzyme | Heat Inactivation (temperature) |
| Aat II | Yes (65°C) |
| Acc I | Yes (80°C) |
| Acc65 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Aci I | Yes (65°C) |
| Acl I | No |
| Acu I | Yes (65°C) |
| Afe I | Yes (65°C) |
| Afl II | Yes (65°C) |
| Afl III | Yes (80°C) |
| Age I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ahd I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ale I | Yes (65°C) |
| Alu I | Yes (65°C) |
| Alw I | Yes (65°C) |
| AlwN I | Yes (65°C) |
| Apa I | Yes (65°C) |
| ApaL I | No |
| ApeK I | No |
| Apo I | Yes (80°C) |
| Asc I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ase I | Yes (65°C) |
| AsiS I | Yes (80°C) |
| Ava I | Yes (80°C) |
| Ava II | Yes (65°C) |
| Avr II | No |
| Bae I | Yes (65°C) |
| BamH I | No |
| Ban I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ban II | Yes (65°C) |
| Bbs I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bbv I | Yes (65°C) |
| BbvC I | Yes (80°C) |
| Bcc I | Yes (65°C) |
| BceA I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bcg I | Yes (65°C) |
| BciV I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bcl I | No |
| Bfa I | Yes (80°C) |
| BfrB I | Yes (80°C) |
| BfuA I | Yes (65°C) |
| BfuC I | Yes (80°C) |
| Bgl I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bgl II | No |
| Blp I | No |
| Bme1580 I | Yes (80°C) |
| BmgB I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bmr I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bmt I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bpm I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bpu10 I | Yes (80°C) |
| BpuE I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bsa I | Yes (65°C) |
| BsaA I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsaB I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsaH I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsaJ I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsaW I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsaX I | No |
| BseR I | Yes (65°C) |
| BseY I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bsg I | Yes (65°C) |
| BsiE I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsiHKA I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsiW I | Yes (80°C) |
| Bsl I | Yes (80°C) |
| Bsm I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsmA I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsmB I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsmF I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsoB I | No |
| Bsp1286 I | Yes (65°C) |
| BspCN I | Yes (80°C) |
| BspD I | Yes (65°C) |
| BspE I | Yes (80°C) |
| BspH I | Yes (65°C) |
| BspM I | Yes (65°C) |
| Bsr I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsrB I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsrD I | Yes (80°C) |
| BsrF I | No |
| BsrG I | Yes (80°C) |
| BssH II | Yes (80°C) |
| BssK I | Yes (80°C) |
| BssS I | Yes (80°C) |
| BstAP I | Yes (80°C) |
| BstB I | No |
| BstE II | No |
| BstF5 I | No |
| BstN I | No |
| BstU I | No |
| BstX I | Yes (65°C) |
| BstY I | Yes (80°C) |
| BstZ17 I | No |
| Bsu36 I | Yes (80°C) |
| Btg I | Yes (80°C) |
| BtgZ I | Yes (80°C) |
| Bts I | Yes (80°C) |
| Cac8 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Cla I | Yes (65°C) |
| CspC I | No |
| CviA II | Yes (65°C) |
| Dde I | Yes (65°C) |
| Dpn I | Yes (80°C) |
| Dpn II | Yes (65°C) |
| Dra I | Yes (65°C) |
| Dra III | Yes (65°C) |
| Drd I | Yes (65°C) |
| Eae I | Yes (65°C) |
| Eag I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ear I | Yes (65°C) |
| Eci I | Yes (65°C) |
| EcoN I | Yes (65°C) |
| EcoO109 I | Yes (65°C) |
| EcoP15 I | Yes (65°C) |
| EcoR I | Yes (65°C) |
| EcoR V | Yes (80°C) |
| Fat I | Yes (65°C) |
| Fau I | Yes (65°C) |
| Fnu4H I | Yes (65°C) |
| Fok I | Yes (65°C) |
| Fse I | Yes (65°C) |
| Fsp I | Yes (65°C) |
| Hae II | Yes (80°C) |
| Hae III | Yes (80°C) |
| Hga I | Yes (65°C) |
| Hha I | Yes (65°C) |
| HinP1 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Hinc II | Yes (65°C) |
| Hind III | Yes (65°C) |
| Hinf I | Yes (80°C) |
| Hpa I | No |
| Hpa II | Yes (65°C) |
| Hph I | Yes (65°C) |
| Hpy99 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Hpy188 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Hpy188 III | Yes (65°C) |
| HpyCH4 III | Yes (80°C) |
| HpyCH4 IV | Yes (65°C) |
| HpyCH4 V | Yes (65°C) |
| I-Ceu I | Yes (65°C) |
| I-Sce I | Yes (65°C) |
| Kas I | Yes (65°C) |
| Kpn I | No |
| Mbo I | Yes (65°C) |
| Mbo II | Yes (65°C) |
| McrBC | Yes (65°C) |
| Mfe I | Yes (65°C) |
| Mlu I | Yes (65°C) |
| Mly I | Yes (65°C) |
| Mme I | Yes (80°C) |
| Mnl I | Yes (65°C) |
| Msc I | Yes (65°C) |
| Mse I | Yes (65°C) |
| Msl I | Yes (65°C) |
| Msp I | Yes (65°C) |
| MspA1 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Mwo I | No |
| Nae I | Yes (65°C) |
| N.Alw I | Yes (80°C) |
| Nar I | Yes (65°C) |
| N.BbvC IA | Yes (80°C) |
| N.BbvC IB | Yes (80°C) |
| N.BstNB I | Yes (80°C) |
| Nb.Bsm I | Yes (65°C) |
| Nci I | No |
| Nco I | Yes (65°C) |
| Nde I | Yes (65°C) |
| NgoM IV | Yes (80°C) |
| Nhe I | Yes (65°C) |
| Nla III | Yes (65°C) |
| Nla IV | Yes (65°C) |
| Not I | Yes (65°C) |
| Nru I | Yes (65°C) |
| Nsi I | Yes (65°C) |
| Nsp I | Yes (65°C) |
| Pac I | Yes (65°C) |
| PaeR7 I | No |
| Pci I | Yes (65°C) |
| PflF I | Yes (65°C) |
| PflM I | Yes (65°C) |
| Pho I | No |
| PI-Psp I | No |
| Pl-Sce I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ple I | Yes (65°C) |
| Pme I | Yes (65°C) |
| Pml I | Yes (65°C) |
| PpuM I | No |
| PshA I | Yes (65°C) |
| Psi I | Yes (65°C) |
| PspG I | No |
| PspOM I | Yes (65°C) |
| PspX I | Yes (80°C) |
| Pst I | Yes (80°C) |
| Pvu I | Yes (80°C) |
| Pvu II | No |
| Rsa I | Yes (65°C) |
| Rsr II | Yes (65°C) |
| Sac I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sac II | Yes (65°C) |
| Sal I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sap I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sau96 I | Yes (80°C) |
| Sau3A I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sbf I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sca I | Yes (80°C) |
| ScrF I | Yes (65°C) |
| SexA I | Yes (65°C) |
| SfaN I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sfc I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sfi I | No |
| Sfo I | Yes (65°C) |
| SgrA I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sma I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sml I | No |
| SnaB I | Yes (80°C) |
| Spe I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sph I | Yes (65°C) |
| Ssp I | Yes (65°C) |
| Stu I | Yes (65°C) |
| Sty I | Yes (65°C) |
| StyD4 I | Yes (65°C) |
| Swa I | Yes (65°C) |
| Taq I | Yes (80°C) |
| Tfi I | No |
| Tli I | No |
| Tse I | No |
| Tsp45 I | No |
| Tsp509 I | No |
| TspR I | No |
| Tth111 I | No |
| Xba I | Yes (65°C) |
| Xcm I | Yes (65°C) |
| Xho I | Yes (65°C) |
| Xma I | Yes (65°C) |
| Xmn I | Yes (65°C) |
| Zra I | Yes (80°C) |