Multiple cloning site

A multiple cloning site (MCS), also called a polylinker, is a short segment of DNA which contains many (up to ~20) restriction sites - a standard feature of engineered plasmids. Restriction sites within an MCS are typically unique, occurring only once within a given plasmid. MCSs are commonly used during procedures involving molecular cloning or subcloning. Extremely useful in biotechnology, bioengineering, and molecular genetics, MCSs let a molecular biologist insert a piece of DNA or several pieces of DNA into the region of the MCS. This can be used to create transgenic organisms, also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The pUC18 and pUC19 polylinker

One bacterial plasmid used in genetic engineering as a plasmid cloning vector is pUC18. Its polylinker region is composed of several restriction enzyme recognition sites, that have been engineered into a single cluster (the polylinker). It has restriction sites for various restriction enzymes, including EcoRI, BamHI and PstI. Another vector used in genetic engineering is pUC19, which is similar to pUC18, but its polylinker region is reversed.