BamHI
G▾GATCC5′ overhang (4)
BamHI is a 6 bp-recognition restriction enzyme. It runs best in rNEBuffer 3.1 at 37°C, and is prone to star activity under non-standard conditions.
NEB buffer activity
| Buffer | % Activity |
|---|---|
| rNEBuffer 1.1 | 75% |
| rNEBuffer 2.1 | 100% |
| rNEBuffer 3.1best | 100% |
| rCutSmart | 100% |
- Incubation
- 37°C
- Heat inactivation
- Not inactivable
- Star activity
- High propensity
- Methylation blocked
- None
GGATCC has no CG dinucleotide -> CpG not applicable. Not heat-inactivable.
Find BamHI sites in your own sequence
Paste a sequence below and this scans it for every BamHI recognition site — the same engine behind the full Restriction Sites tool, scoped to just this one enzyme.
Frequently asked questions
What does BamHI recognize?
BamHI recognizes the 6 bp sequence GGATCC (5′→3′), cutting the top strand between position 1 and 2 within the site to leave a 5′ overhang of 4 bases.
What buffer should I use for BamHI?
rNEBuffer 3.1 gives the highest activity (incubate at 37°C).
Does BamHI have star activity?
Yes, and it has a notably high propensity for it — under non-standard conditions (excess enzyme/glycerol, long incubation, low ionic strength) it can cleave at sites resembling but not matching GGATCC.
Is BamHI blocked by DNA methylation?
Not blocked by Dam, Dcm, or CpG methylation.
Can I heat-inactivate BamHI?
No — BamHI is not heat-inactivable. Use a column cleanup or phenol-chloroform extraction to stop the reaction instead.