Primer-Directed Site-Specific Mutagenesis

Site-directed mutagenesis provides a powerful means for probing protein structure and function. Using this approach, one can introduce specific amino acid changes at any given position in the protein sequence and test the functional consequences of these mutations in vitro or in vivo. If an in vivo test is available, strategies that introduce random base changes at a given codon (or indeed in a larger region of the protein) are particularly valuable.