Background: The enzymatic mutation detection (EMD) assay uses the bacteriophage resolvase T4 endonuclease VII, which cleaves preformed heteroduplex molecules at mismatch sites, forming two shorter fragments that can be resolved by gel electrophoresis. The method can be used to detect single and multiple base changes, as well as insertions and deletions. Methods: The sensitivity, specificity, and positional accuracy of mutation detection by EMD with the PASSPORTTM Mutation Scanning Kit were

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... sed in a blind fashion for three analytical platforms (radioactive detection and automated laser sequencers ALFexpress and ABI PRISM 377). PCR products of 703 bp covering codons 188–393 of the P53 gene were prepared from colorectal tumor samples and analyzed by EMD; the results were compared to data from cDNA sequencing. A 1362-bp PCR product prepared from IL4r gene was used to test detection of multiple base changes in long PCR products. Results: The sensitivity for detection of mutations using EMD exceeded 90%, and the specificity exceeded 80% on all analysis platforms. The method localized 90% of mutations to within two codons and four codons for automated laser sequencers and detection by radioactivity, respectively. The method detected at least five mismatches in heteroduplexes >1 kb. Conclusions: The EMD system facilitates efficient detection of genetic variation in fragments exceeding 1 kb irrespective of location and type. The technology is particularly well suited to the detection of mutations in genes frequently mutated at unpredictable locations.