Cloning and stable maintenance of 300-kilobase-pair fragments of human DNA in Escherichia coli using an F-factor-based vector.

TLDR

The BAC system is based on Escherichia coli and its single‑copy plasmid F factor. It can maintain human genomic DNA fragments larger than 300 kilobase pairs. The system enables mapping and analysis of complex genomes, preserves human DNA fragments with high structural stability even after 100 generations, and offers high cloning efficiency and easy manipulation, facilitating construction of comprehensive DNA libraries for rapid genomic analysis.

Abstract

A bacterial cloning system for mapping and analysis of complex genomes has been developed. The BAC system (for bacterial artificial chromosome) is based on Escherichia coli and its single-copy plasmid F factor. It is capable of maintaining human genomic DNA fragments of greater than 300 kilobase pairs. Individual clones of human DNA appear to be maintained with a high degree of structural stability in the host, even after 100 generations of serial growth. Because of high cloning efficiency, easy manipulation of the cloned DNA, and stable maintenance of inserted DNA, the BAC system may facilitate construction of DNA libraries of complex genomes with fuller representation and subsequent rapid analysis of complex genomic structure.