title: A practical comparison of ligation-independent cloning techniques.
abstract: The precise assembly of specific DNA sequences is a critical technique in molecular biology. Traditional cloning techniques use restriction enzymes and ligation of DNA in vitro, which can be hampered by a lack of appropriate restriction-sites and inefficient enzymatic steps. A number of ligation-independent cloning techniques have been developed, including polymerase incomplete primer extension (PIPE) cloning, sequence and ligation-independent cloning (SLIC), and overlap extension cloning (OEC). These strategies rely on the generation of complementary overhangs by DNA polymerase, without requiring specific restriction sites or ligation, and achieve high efficiencies in a fraction of the time at low cost. Here, we outline and optimise these techniques and identify important factors to guide cloning project design, including avoiding PCR artefacts such as primer-dimers and vector plasmid background. Experiments made use of a common reporter vector and a set of modular primers to clone DNA fragments of increasing size. Overall, PIPE achieved cloning efficiencies of ∼95% with few manipulations, whereas SLIC provided a much higher number of transformants, but required additional steps. Our data suggest that for small inserts (<1.5 kb), OEC is a good option, requiring only two new primers, but performs poorly for larger inserts. These ligation-independent cloning approaches constitute an essential part of the researcher's molecular-tool kit.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ; Diabetes and Obesity Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Krycer
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004247:DNA