Optical mapping of a rice BAC clone using restriction endonuclease and imaging with fluorescent microscopy at single molecule level

A method of constructing restriction map by optical mapping and single molecule fluorescent microscopy is described. DNA molecules were aligned and adsorbed on a glass coverslip surface by a modified "molecular combing" technique, and then the surface-immobilized DNAs were cleaved in situ with a restriction endonuclease. Individual DNA molecules digested by the endonuclease EcoR I were observable with fluorescent microscopy. Using optical mapping, a physical map of a rice bacterial artificial chromosome clone was constructed. This method will facilitate genomic mapping and tracing the dynamic process in real time at a single molecule level with fluorescence microscopy.