A shuttle vector is a

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

(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 and ...

) 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 The eukaryotes ( ) constitute the domain of Eukaryota or Eukarya, organisms whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, seaweeds, and many unicellular organisms are eukaryotes. They constitute a major group of ...

and

prokaryotes A prokaryote (; less commonly spelled procaryote) is a single-celled organism whose cell lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'before', and (), meaning 'nut' ...

(e.g. both ''

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

'' and ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...

'') 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 t ...

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. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...

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

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

'' 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). 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 (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

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 or AR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials, which are drugs used to treat infections. This resistance affects all classes of microbes, including bacteria (antibiotic resis ...

, beta lactamase, beta galactosidase. The yeast component of a yeast shuttle vector includes an autonomously replicating sequence (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 fiber ...

(CEN), and a yeast

selectable marker A selectable marker is a gene introduced into cell (biology), cells, especially bacteria or cells in cell culture, culture, which confers one or more traits suitable for artificial selection. They are a type of reporter gene used in laboratory micr ...

(e.g. URA3, a gene that encodes an enzyme for

uracil Uracil () (nucleoside#List of nucleosides and corresponding nucleobases, symbol U or Ura) is one of the four nucleotide bases in the nucleic acid RNA. The others are adenine (A), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). In RNA, uracil binds to adenine via ...

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