Vector components
- Includes promoters, popular ORFs, markers, linkers, protein tags, regulatory elements, etc.
- Can be sourced from VectorBuilder's in-stock collection, customer-supplied, or de novo synthesized.*
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As the world’s leading provider of custom vector cloning services, VectorBuilder can create any custom DNA vector to meet your research needs. Our platform features about 200 optimized vector systems, validated through in vitro and in vivo (when applicable) testing. Outsourcing your cloning projects to VectorBuilder is often more cost-effective than in-house cloning in terms of reagent and labor cost, with the added benefit of saving your time, effort, and the frustration associated with cloning.
In addition to molecular cloning of vectors, we offer several related services including plasmid DNA preparation, virus packaging, library construction, stable cell line engineering, and therapeutic IVT RNA synthesis.
Free, highly-intuitive platform for quick and easy design of custom vectors using our vast inventory of functionally validated vector backbones and components.
Modular “Lego-like” production workflow enabling parallel cloning of custom vectors efficiently and reliably, with over 95% of projects completed on time.
Extensive experience in cloning complex and challenging vectors.
Find more informationFull ownership of the IP for your custom vectors and free vector storage.
Receive experiment-ready vectors delivered to your bench
Order Now!Choose from functionally validated in-stock backbones or custom supplied backbones*.
Choose from various cloning methods based on the complexity of the vector, including PCR, ligation, Gibson, Gateway, Golden Gate, and more.
E.coli glycerol stock (default) or pDNA delivered to your bench within a week or two.
For viral vectors, virus packaging is offered at various scales as a downstream service.
Multiple scales of high-quality plasmid DNA including Miniprep, Midiprep, Maxiprep, Megaprep and Gigaprep.
VectorBuilder streamlines even the most complex vector production for a wide range of applications. The table below provides an overview of our custom vector production process.
Process | Description |
---|---|
Sourcing vector backbones and components | Vector backbones and components (promoters, ORFs, markers, etc.,) are sourced in-house (~80% of all projects), de novo synthesized, or customer-supplied. |
Vector cloning | Cloning methods include PCR, ligation, Gibson, Golden Gate or other, depending on the complexity of the vector. |
Final QC & delivery | Comprehensive and customizable QC (sequencing, restriction digestion, as appropriate) before delivery. |
Downstream services | Multiple scales of high-quality plasmid DNA for all vectors and virus packaging at various scales for viral vectors. |
From the simplest to the most complex, we clone it all!
Click here to view the exact price and turnaround time for your custom vector.*
*Total price for vector cloning depends on the input material, length, and complexity of the vector. Request design support for help with vector design and cloning.
All vectors cloned by VectorBuilder come with a 100% sequence accuracy guarantee. The table below lists our QC items for custom vector cloning:
Raw Material | ||
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Vector backbone | Vector components | |
VectorBuilder's in-stock material |
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Customer-supplied |
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De novo synthesized | - |
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Final Vector | ||
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If customer-supplied materials such as backbones or gene templates are needed, please submit your materials information on "Support" > "Materials Submission Form". Please strictly follow our guidelines to set up shipment to avoid any delay or damage of the materials. All customer-supplied materials undergo mandatory QC by VectorBuilder which may incur an additional QC charge starting from $100 per item, depending on the type and usage of item. Please note that production cannot be initiated until customer-supplied materials pass QC.
At VectorBuilder, a combination of various molecular biology techniques is utilized to generate custom vectors based on customer needs. While expression vectors are typically constructed using Gateway cloning or Gibson assembly, shRNA and gRNA vectors are cloned using a ligation-based approach to provide you with your desired vectors at the lowest prices and fastest turnaround times utilizing our highly optimized high-throughput cloning platform. Additionally, we routinely use a variety of other methods including de novo gene synthesis and Golden Gate cloning as needed, on a project-by-project basis.
All vectors at VectorBuilder are cloned using our proprietary host strain VB UltraStable™, which is designed to achieve high transformation efficiency (>1x109 cfu/ug) and for propagating DNA plasmids with unstable elements such as repeated sequences. Therefore, we highly recommend that you use VB UltraStable™ chemically competent cells for propagating your plasmids obtained from VectorBuilder. However, our vectors are compatible with and can be propagated in other commonly used bacterial hosts strains such as DH5α and Stbl3.
The number of plasmid copies per bacterial cell is determined by the origin of replication on the plasmid. Some origins have inherent low copy number. Check the copy number of the origin of replication on your plasmid. For low-copy plasmids, increase the amount of E. coli culture for plasmid DNA prep in order to obtain satisfying DNA yield.
Check the copy number of the origin of replication of plasmids supplied by VectorBuilder
Please check the binding capacity of your plasmid prep column and whether your plasmid is high- or low-copy plasmid. For mini preps, we recommend that you harvest 1-5 ml of overnight bacterial culture. For maxi preps, if the plasmid is high-copy plasmid, we recommend using 100-150 ml of overnight bacterial culture; if the plasmid is low-copy plasmid, we recommend using 300-500 ml of overnight bacterial culture. Typically, for high-copy plasmid, ~5 ug of plasmid DNA can be extracted from every 1 ml of culture in mini prep and ~500 ug of plasmid DNA can be obtained from 150 ml of culture; for low-copy plasmid (e.g. pET), 1.5-2.5 ug of plasmid DNA can be harvested from every 1 ml of culture in mini prep and 150-200 ug of plasmid DNA can be obtained from 150 ml of culture.
Some antibiotics, ampicillin in particular, degrade fast in liquid culture. As a result, bacteria that do not contain plasmids can propagate to a significant fraction of the culture, causing poor yield of the plasmid prep. To avoid this, please prepare ampicillin containing growth medium freshly before use and make sure that enough ampicillin is supplied. Also, when culturing ampicillin-resistant bacteria, do not let the liquid culture saturate for too long before harvesting. Besides insufficient antibiotics in the culture, extracting plasmid DNA from very old culture can also result in low yield, since many bacterial cells are dead and plasmid DNA they contain is degraded. Therefore, try to extract plasmid DNA from fresh culture. If plasmid prep cannot be performed immediately, you can spin down the bacteria and store the pellet in -80°C freezer for later plasmid prep.
Direct inoculation of a liquid culture from the E. coli liquid stock or stab culture you have received from VectorBuilder can very occasionally result in low yield. We recommend streaking the stock onto an LB agar plate containing the appropriate antibiotic first, and then inoculating a liquid culture with a fresh colony growing from that plate. Detailed user instructions can be found by going to menu item Learning Center > Documentation > Stab Culture.
If you use a plasmid prep kit, please carefully read the manual before use. Improper operations can often lead to poor performance of the kit.
Some brands of plasmid DNA prep columns perform poorly or inconsistently for DNA preparation.
If our QC assays uncover a synonymous mutation, we will contact you for approval in moving forward with cloning, as this mutation will be unlikely to affect experimental outcome. However, if a non-synonymous mutation is found, we will discuss with you the best course of action for correction before cloning and downstream services are initiated.
De novo synthesis is required in less than 20% of our projects. Pricing for de novo synthesis typically correlates with the fragment length, sequence complexity (e.g., high GC content, simple repeats, or segmental repeats), and the number of DNA fragments to be synthesized. For specific pricing details, please submit a design request, and our team will provide a customized quote.