Bst DNA polymerase permits rapid sequence analysis from nanogram amounts of template.

A simple, rapid method is presented for the enzymatic sequence analysis of nanogram amounts of single-stranded or double-stranded DNA. This approach employs the thermostable DNA polymerase from Bacillus sterothermophilus and exploits its ability to efficiently extend all of the template-primer complex, even at low substrate concentrations. The procedure requires few pipetting steps, no preannealing step and very short reaction time. This method can significantly reduce the cost associated with DNA polymerase and the amount of template and time required to perform the enzymatic sequencing reactions. As little as a 10-ng aliquot of such sequencing reactions can be analyzed on a fluorescence-based capillary gel electrophoresis instrument recently developed in our laboratory. This highly sensitive detection, in conjunction with the ability to efficiently sequence nanogram amounts of template, strongly suggests the feasibility of direct DNA sequencing of single bacteriophage M13 plaques without prior amplification.