A shuttle vector is a

vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

(usually a

plasmid A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; ho ...

) constructed so that it can propagate in two different host species. Therefore, DNA inserted into a shuttle vector can be tested or manipulated in two different cell types. The main advantage of these vectors is they can be manipulated in ''E. coli'', then used in a system which is more difficult or slower to use (e.g. yeast). Shuttle vectors include plasmids that can propagate in

eukaryotes Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bact ...

and

prokaryotes A prokaryote () is a single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Greek πρό (, 'before') and κάρυον (, 'nut' or 'kernel').Campbell, N. "Biology:Concepts & Connec ...

(e.g. both ''

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungus microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been ...

'' and ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Esc ...

'') or in different species of bacteria (e.g. both ''E. coli'' and ''

Rhodococcus ''Rhodococcus'' is a genus of aerobic, nonsporulating, nonmotile Gram-positive bacteria closely related to ''Mycobacterium'' and '' Corynebacterium''. While a few species are pathogenic, most are benign, and have been found to thrive in a broad ...

erythropolis''). There are also

adenovirus Adenoviruses (members of the family ''Adenoviridae'') are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (without an outer lipid bilayer) viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double-stranded DNA genome. Their name derives from thei ...

shuttle vectors, which can propagate in ''E. coli'' and mammals. Shuttle vectors are frequently used to quickly make multiple copies of the gene in ''

E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Esche ...

'' (amplification). They can also be used for ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology and ...

'' experiments and modifications (e.g.

mutagenesis Mutagenesis () is a process by which the genetic information of an organism is changed by the production of a mutation. It may occur spontaneously in nature, or as a result of exposure to mutagens. It can also be achieved experimentally using lab ...

PCR PCR or pcr may refer to: Science * Phosphocreatine, a phosphorylated creatine molecule * Principal component regression, a statistical technique Medicine * Polymerase chain reaction ** COVID-19 testing, often performed using the polymerase chain r ...

). One of the most common types of shuttle vectors is the

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

shuttle vector. Almost all commonly used '' S. cerevisiae'' vectors are shuttle vectors. Yeast shuttle vectors have components that allow for replication and selection in both ''E. coli'' cells and yeast cells. The ''E. coli'' component of a yeast shuttle vector includes an

origin of replication The origin of replication (also called the replication origin) is a particular sequence in a genome at which replication is initiated. Propagation of the genetic material between generations requires timely and accurate duplication of DNA by semi ...

and a selectable marker, e.g.

antibiotic resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials. All classes of microbes can evolve resistance. Fungi evolve antifungal resistance. Viruses evolve antiviral resistance. ...

beta lactamase Beta-lactamases, (β-lactamases) are enzymes () produced by bacteria that provide multi-resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, cephamycins, monobactams and carbapenems (ertapenem), although carbapenems ...

, beta galactosidase. The yeast component of a yeast shuttle vector includes an

autonomously replicating sequence An autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) contains the origin of replication in the yeast genome. It contains four regions (A, B1, B2, and B3), named in order of their effect on plasmid stability. The A-Domain is highly conserved, any mutation abol ...

(ARS), a yeast

centromere The centromere links a pair of sister chromatids together during cell division. This constricted region of chromosome connects the sister chromatids, creating a short arm (p) and a long arm (q) on the chromatids. During mitosis, spindle fibers a ...

(CEN), and a yeast

selectable marker A selectable marker is a gene introduced into a cell, especially a bacterium or to cells in culture, that confers a trait suitable for artificial selection. They are a type of reporter gene used in laboratory microbiology, molecular biology, and gen ...

(e.g.

URA3 URA3 is a gene on chromosome V in ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' (yeast). Its systematic name is YEL021W. URA3 is often used in yeast research as a "marker gene", that is, a gene to label chromosomes or plasmids. URA3 encodes Orotidine 5'-phosphate d ...

, a gene that encodes an enzyme for

uracil Uracil () (symbol U or Ura) is one of the four nucleobases in the nucleic acid RNA. The others are adenine (A), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). In RNA, uracil binds to adenine via two hydrogen bonds. In DNA, the uracil nucleobase is replaced by t ...

synthesis, Lodish et al. 2007).

References

* An Introduction to Genetic Analysis, Griffiths et al., 7th ed. * Principles of Genetics, Snustad & Simmons, 4th ed. * Molecular Cell Biology, Lodish et al., 6th ed. {{ISBN, 1-4292-0314-5 Free online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mcb.TOC (accessed 17 Oct 2007) * Sherman, Fred. "9 Yeast Vectors" http://dbb.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/Sherman_f/yeast/9.html (accessed Sept. 30, 2007). * Yang et al., Characterization of the mobilization determinants of pAN12, a small replicon from Rhodococcus erythropolis AN12. Plasmid 57, 71-81. Molecular biology de:Shuttle-Plasmid