In this issue Esser et al. demonstrate that a histone-like protein from the hyperthermostable eubacterium Thermotoga maritima can be used to enhance transfection efficiency in various cell lines, as compared with several commercially available reagents, with less toxicity. They also demonstrate that the protein can enhance the efficiency of another transfection method, lipofection (see p. 1211).

On page 1213, Stoerker and colleagues present a means of genotyping single-nucleotide polymorphisms by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. They use nuclease selections for genotyping by combining the DNA to be analyzed with oligonucleotide probes representing known genotypes. Target-bound, complementary probes are refractory to nuclease attack, and their peaks remain in mass spectra. They demonstrate the approach by genotyping PCR-amplified patient DNA from a region of the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulatory gene (CFTR). The technique offers advantages in the speed and cost effectiveness of analysis.