Color selection with a hygromycin-resistance-based Escherichia coli-mycobacterial shuttle vector

Abstract

Hygromycin-resistance (HyR)-based Escherichia coli-mycobacterial shuttle plasmids have high efficiencies of transformation and a broad mycobacterial host range. We have introduced a lacZ alpha (encoding the alpha-polypeptide fragment of beta-galactosidase (beta Gal))-multiple cloning site cassette into a HyR-based shuttle vector to generate a plasmid with nine unique cloning sites and the added feature of beta Gal color selection in appropriate E. coli host strains.