The chemical N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) is an alkylating agent, and has been used as a mutagen since the 1970s and for C. elegans mutagenesis in 1997. Compared to EMS, ENU has been shown to produce a different spectrum of mutations, especially for the production of non-null alleles, and it has greater toxicity to C. elegans. Its toxicity can be reduced in solvents such as absolute ethanol, and increased in aqueous solutions.

How ENU Works

ENU mutagenesis creates modified DNA bases by transferring its ethyl moiety to nitrogen or oxygen on any of the four nucleotides, which then hinders proper replication. Because of equal mutation of all codons with ENU, non-null alleles are often generated.

Properties and Advantages of ENU Mutagenesis

• ENU is a member of the alkylating agent class of mutagens and has a preference for A/T to T/A transversions, G/C to A/T transitions, and A/T to G/C transitions.
• The point mutations occur at an approximate rate of 1 per 700 gametes, and at approximately 1-2 Mb intervals.
• ENU may be a much more useful mutagen, especially for the production of non-null alleles.
• ENU mainly targets spermatogonial stem cells.
• ENU is a superior mutagen for genetic studies of protein function and protein–protein interaction, such as suppresser screens.

Our Services

ENU is used as a genetic tool by designing a variety of genetic screens. We offer a well-established genetic screening platform, and the workflow is shown below.

Workflow of C. elegans ENU mutagenesis -CD BioSciences

Applications

• Research of cellular phenotypes.
• Identification of novel alleles in embryonic organogenesis.

Features of Our Services

• A scalable high-throughput screening platform
• Sophisticated mutagenesis techniques.
• Whole-process technical trace service
• One-stop solutions.
• Most competitive prices.

CD BioSciences strives for solutions that improve research outcomes and dramatically improve the speed of success. We are committed to offering superior quality, reasonable price as well as good integrity and service. With the help of CD BioSciences, you can induce highly efficient point mutations randomly distributed throughout the germline in C. elegans. If you are interested in our services, contact us to discuss your requirements.

References

1. De Stasio EA, Dorman S. (2001). "Optimization of ENU mutagenesis of Caenorhabditis elegans." Mutat Res. 495(1-2):81-88.
2. Stottmann R, Beier D. (2014). "ENU Mutagenesis in the Mouse". Curr Protoc Hum Genet. 82:15.4.1-15.4.10.
3. Itani OA, et al. (2015). "Chromoanasynthetic Genomic Rearrangement Identified in a N-Ethyl-N-Nitrosourea (ENU) Mutagenesis Screen in Caenorhabditis elegans". G3 (Bethesda). 6(2):351-356.

Related Services

• C. elegans EMS Mutagenesis Service