Abstract
Marine hyperthermophilic microorganisms are valuable resources for thermostable enzymes which are well suited for biotechnological applications. A novel DNA endonuclease I-Ape I was found from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Aeropyrum pernix and characterized. Of particular interest is that I-Ape I is encoded in the optional intron Iα within the 16 S rRNA gene. Probably, I-Ape I confer mobility to the host intron Iα, like group I intron homing endonucleases from eukaryotes and bacteriophages. Also, this rarecutting enzyme is a useful tool for genome mapping.
