MAX Efficiency™ DH10B Competent Cells

For best results, DNA used in electroporation must have a very low ionic strength and a high resistance. A high-salt DNA sample may be purified by either ethanol precipitation or dialysis.

The following suggested protocols are for ligation reactions of 20ul. The volumes may be adjusted to suit the amount being prepared.

Purifying DNA by Precipitation: Add 5 to 10 ug of tRNA to a 20ul ligation reaction. Adjust the solution to 2.5 M in ammonium acetate using a 7.5 M ammonium acetate stock solution. Mix well. Add two volumes of 100 % ethanol. Centrifuge at 12,000 x g for 15 min at 4C. Remove the supernatant with a micropipet. Wash the pellet with 60ul of 70% ethanol. Centrifuge at 12,000 x g for 15 min at room temperature. Remove the supernatant with a micropipet. Air dry the pellet. Resuspend the DNA in 0.5X TE buffer [5 mM Tris-HCl, 0.5 mM EDTA (pH 7.5)] to a concentration of 10 ng/ul of DNA. Use 1 ul per transformation of 20 ul of cell suspension.

Purifying DNA by Microdialysis: Float a Millipore filter, type VS 0.025 um, on a pool of 0.5X TE buffer (or 10% glycerol) in a small plastic container. Place 20ul of the DNA solution as a drop on top of the filter. Incubate at room temperature for several hours. Withdraw the DNA drop from the filter and place it in a polypropylene microcentrifuge tube. Use 1ul of this DNA for each electrotransformation reaction.

There are a few exceptions, but in general the difference is in guaranteed transformation efficiency as follows:

Subcloning Efficiency cells are guaranteed to produce at least 1.0 x 10E6 transformants per µg of transformed pUC19 or pUC18 supercoiled plasmid
Library Efficiency cells are guaranteed to produce at least 1.0 x 10E8 transformants per µg pUC19 or pUC18 DNA
MAX Efficiency cells are guaranteed to produce at least 1.0 x 10E9 transformants per µg pUC19 or pUC18 DNA

Yes. Bacterial host cells will often degrade incoming DNA that has a methylation pattern that is "foreign" relative to that of the cell. Several host strains have been modified to accept mammalian methylation patterns. The modified markers include mcrA, mcrBC, and mrr. Also, endogenous (b-type) restriction endonucleases can be problematic. Modifications of the host to be rK- or rB- are necessary and include hsdR17(AK-, MK+), hsdR17(rK-, mK-), hsdS20(rB-, rB-) or hsdRMS. Strains with the hsdR17(rK-, mK+) mutation lack K-type restriction endonuclease, but contain K-type methylase. DNA prepared from hosts that are rK- mK- is unmethylated and will transform with lower efficiency in rK+ hosts.

TOP10, DH10B, and OmniMAX2-T1 cells contain the mcr, mrr, and hsdRMS mutations. Mach1 and standard DH5? strains only have the hsdR17(rK- mK+) mutation and are not recommended for cloning eukaryotic genomic DNA.

Cosolvents may be used when there is a failure of amplification, either because the template contains stable hairpin-loops or the region of amplification is GC-rich. Keep in mind that all of these cosolvents have the effect of lowering enzyme activity, which will decrease amplification yield. For more information see P Landre et al (1995). The use of co-solvents to enhance amplification by the polymerase chain reaction. In: PCR Strategies, edited by MA Innis, DH Gelfand, JJ Sninsky. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, pp. 3-16.

Additionally, when amplifying very long PCR fragments (greater than 5 kb) the use of cosolvents is often recommended to help compensate for the increased melting temperature of these fragments.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our PCR and cDNA Synthesis Support Center.

There are several approaches that can be taken to inactivate the AmpliTaq DNA Polymerase after PCR.

(1) Because AmpliTaq DNA Polymerase is thermostable, it is necessary to heat it to high temperatures in order for it to be inactivated. Typically, a 99-100 degrees C for 10 min is sufficient.

(2) Raising the EDTA concentration to 10 mM will chelate any free Mg2+. Mg2+ is necessary for enzyme activity. By removing the Mg2+ the enzyme will no longer exhibit enzyme activity.

(3) Phenol-chloroform extraction of the PCR product and ethanol precipitation will also inactivate AmpliTaq DNA Polymerase.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our PCR and cDNA Synthesis Support Center.