pZ402, an improved SV40-based shuttle vector containing a T-antigen mutant unable to interact with wild-type p53.

Shuttle vectors are useful tools for studying DNA replication and mutagenesis. SV40-based shuttle vectors are popular because of their ease of use and quick results. However, one complication with the use of SV40-based shuttle vectors is the interaction of cellular p53 protein with the T-antigen of SV40. Wild-type, but not mutant p53 has been shown to be involved in DNA replication and DNA repair. To address this concern, we have modified an SV40-based shuttle vector, pZ189, by exchanging the wt T-antigen for a mutant SV40 T-antigen, which is unable to bind with p53. This shuttle vector, pZ402, provides us with a tool to study DNA replication and genomic instability in cells with varying genetic backgrounds without interference from the interaction of T-antigen with p53.