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Plasmid Vectors

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protocols

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Medicine ((MIMM,volume 54))

Abstract

Genetic manipulation of mycobacteria has historically been difficult. This is in large part due to the impenetrable nature of the cell wall, resulting in difficulty both in introducing DNA into the bacterium and subsequent isolation of intact plasmid DNA. In addition, the mycobacterial cell wall contains complex lipids and polysaccharides that can contaminate DNA preparations. The hydrophobic nature of the cell wall results in cells clumping in culture, hampering the isolation of clonal populations important for many molecular biological purposes. In spite of these obstacles, the advent of efficient mycobacterial transformation systems (1) resulted in an explosion of research into plasmid vectors and numerous genetic systems for Mycobacterium tuberculosis have now been described.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School Of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

    Nicola Casali

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY

    Sabine Ehrt

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  1. Nicola Casali
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  2. Sabine Ehrt
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. St. Bartholomew’s and Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK

    Tanya Parish

  2. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Neil G. Stoker

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© 2001 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Casali, N., Ehrt, S. (2001). Plasmid Vectors. In: Parish, T., Stoker, N.G. (eds) Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protocols. Methods in Molecular Medicine, vol 54. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-147-7:001

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-147-7:001

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-776-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-147-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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