What are the differences among the various pMAL vectors?
The pMAL-c, -cRI and -p are the earliest versions of the pMAL vectors. pMAL-c and pMAL-p have a StuI site in the polylinker for cloning blunt-ended fragments. Because the second half of the StuI site codes for proline, if you clone an EcoRI fragment into pMAL-c or pMAL-p, the factor Xa site reads IEGRP, and RP won’t cut with factor Xa. pMAL-cRI was designed as a short-term solution to fix this problem, by changing the polylinker to code for IEGRI upstream of the EcoRI site. The pMAL-c2 and pMAL-p2 vectors are the next generation of pMAL vectors. These vectors avoid the problem with factor Xa cleavege by using an XmnI site instead of StuI. They also have a spacer between malE and the factor Xa site which allows some fusions to bind more tightly to the amylose resin, and an M13 origin for making single stranded DNA. The third generation of pMAL vectors is distinguished by the addition of vectors that substitute an enterokinase or Genenase I site for the factor Xa site. These vectors are
