Specific cleavage of tRNA by nuclease S1.

Nuclease S1 specifically hydrolizes tRNAs in their anticodon loops, forming new 5' phosphate and 3' OH ends. Some single-stranded regions are not cut by nuclease S1. The strong preference of nuclease S1 for the anticodon region can be used for rapid identification of an anticodon-containing oligonucleotide and subsequent identification of the probable amino acid specificity of tRNA.