Multiple cloning site

A pUC19 cloning vector showing the multiple cloning site sequence with restriction enzyme sites.

A multiple cloning site (MCS), also called a polylinker, is a short segment of DNA which contains many (up to ~20) restriction sites - a standard feature of engineered plasmids.[1] Restriction sites within an MCS are typically unique, occurring only once within a given plasmid. The purpose of an MCS in a plasmid is to allow a piece of DNA to be inserted into that region.[2]

An MCS is found in a variety of vectors, including cloning vectors to increase the number of copies of target DNA, and in expression vectors to create a protein product.[3] In expression vectors, the MCS is located downstream of the promoter.[2]

  1. ^ Clark DP (2005). Molecular Biology. Academic Press. p. 611. ISBN 0-12-175551-7.
  2. ^ a b "Addgene: What is a Plasmid?". www.addgene.org. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  3. ^ Carter, Shieh, Matt, Jennifer (2015). Guide to Research Techniques in Neuroscience. Elsevier. pp. 219–237.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)