What is the Difference Between pBR322 and pUC19?

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pBR322 and pUC19 are both popular plasmids used as E. Coli cloning vectors, but they have some differences:

  1. Size: pBR322 is 4361 base pairs in length, while pUC19 is 2686 base pairs in length.
  2. Replication Rate: Due to its larger size, pBR322 has a slower rate of replication compared to pUC19.
  3. Origin of Replication: pBR322 has two origins of replication, one derived from the ColE1 plasmid and another from the pMB1 plasmid, whereas pUC19 has a single origin of replication derived from the pMB1 plasmid.
  4. Copy Number: pBR322 is a low copy number plasmid, while pUC19 is a high copy number plasmid.
  5. Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Both plasmids have an ampicillin resistance gene (AmpR) as a selectable marker. pBR322 also carries the tetracycline resistance gene (tetR).
  6. Lambda Genes: pUC19 has two Lambda genes (bla and lacZ), which encode for AmpR and β-galactosidase, respectively.

Both plasmids are used for molecular cloning and manipulation, but pUC19 is more commonly used due to its high copy number and faster replication rate.

Comparative Table: pBR322 vs pUC19

Here is a table summarizing the differences between pBR322 and pUC19:

Feature pBR322 pUC19
Length 4361 base pairs 2686 base pairs
Copy Number Low copy number High copy number
Molecular Weight 2.83 x 10^6 daltons 1.75 x 10^6 daltons
Replication Rate Slower Faster
Restriction Sites HindⅢ, BamHⅠ, SalⅠ, PstⅠ, PvuⅡ, PvuⅠ, ClaⅠ, and EcoRⅠ HindⅢ, BamHⅠ, SalⅠ, SmaⅠ, SacⅠ, KpnⅠ, XbaⅠ, PstⅠ, SphⅠ, and EcoRⅠ

Both pBR322 and pUC19 are popular plasmids used as E.Coli cloning vectors, with multiple restriction sites and an origin of replication (ori). pBR322 is a low copy number plasmid vector, while pUC19 is a high copy number plasmid vector. The difference in plasmid size affects the plasmid copy number, with larger plasmids tending to have a lower copy number.