A shuttle vector is a vector

Vector (molecular biology)

In molecular biology, a vector is a DNA molecule used as a vehicle to transfer foreign genetic material into another cell. The four major types of vectors are plasmids, viruses, cosmids, and artificial chromosomes...

 (usually a plasmid

Plasmid

In microbiology and genetics, a plasmid is a DNA molecule that is separate from, and can replicate independently of, the chromosomal DNA. They are double-stranded and, in many cases, circular...

) constructed so that it can propagate in two different host species http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=Books&cmd=Search&term=vector%20AND%20mcb%5Bbook%5D&doptcmdl=TOCView. Therefore, DNA inserted into a shuttle vector can be tested or manipulated in two different cell types. The main advantage of these vectors is they can be manipulated in E. coli then used in a system which is more difficult or slower to use (e.g. yeast, other bacteria).

Shuttle vectors include plasmids that can propagate in eukaryotes and prokaryotes (e.g. both Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. It is perhaps the most useful yeast, having been instrumental to baking and brewing since ancient times. It is believed that it was originally isolated from the skin of grapes...

and Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...

) or in different species of bacteria (e.g. both E. coli and Rhodococcus

Rhodococcus

Rhodococcus is a genus of aerobic, nonsporulating, nonmotile Gram-positive bacteria closely related to Mycobacteria and Corynebacteria. While a few species are pathogenic, most are benign and have been found to thrive in a broad range of environments, including soil, water, and eukaryotic cells...

 erythropolis). There are also adenovirus shuttle vectors, which can propagate in E. coli and mammals.

Shuttle vectors are frequently used to quickly make multiple copies of the gene in E. coli (amplification). They can also be used for in vitro

In vitro

In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...

experiments and modifications (e.g. mutagenesis

Mutagenesis

Mutagenesis is a process by which the genetic information of an organism is changed in a stable manner, resulting in a mutation. It may occur spontaneously in nature, or as a result of exposure to mutagens. It can also be achieved experimentally using laboratory procedures...

, PCR)

One of the most common types of shuttle vectors is the yeast shuttle vector http://dbb.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/Sherman_f/yeast/9.html. Almost all commonly used S. cerevisiae vectors are shuttle vectors. Yeast shuttle vectors have components that allow for replication and selection in both E. coli cells and yeast cells. The E. coli component of a yeast shuttle vector includes an origin of replication

Origin of replication

The origin of replication is a particular sequence in a genome at which replication is initiated. This can either be DNA replication in living organisms such as prokaryotes and eukaryotes, or RNA replication in RNA viruses, such as double-stranded RNA viruses...

 and a selectable marker, e.g. antibiotic resistance, Beta lactamase. The yeast component of a yeast shuttle vector includes an autonomously replicating sequence

Autonomously replicating sequence

An autonomously replicating sequence contains the origin of replication in the yeast genome. It contains four regions , named in order of their effect on plasmid stability; when these regions are mutated, replication does not initiate....

 (ARS), a yeast centromere

Centromere

A centromere is a region of DNA typically found near the middle of a chromosome where two identical sister chromatids come closest in contact. It is involved in cell division as the point of mitotic spindle attachment...

 (CEN), and a yeast selectable marker

Selectable marker

A selectable marker is a gene introduced into a cell, especially a bacterium or to cells in culture, that confers a trait suitable for artificial selection. They are a type of reporter gene used in laboratory microbiology, molecular biology, and genetic engineering to indicate the success of a...

 (e.g. URA3

URA3

URA3 is gene on Chromosome V in Saccharomyces . Its systematic name is YEL021W.URA3 is a gene that encodes orotidine 5-phosphate decarboxylase , which is an enzyme that catalyzes one reaction involved in the synthesis of pyrimidine ribonucleotides in yeast RNA.Loss of ODCase activity leads to a...

, a gene that encodes an enzyme for uracil synthesis, Lodish et al. 2007).