293FT Cell Line
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Invitrogen™

293FT Cell Line

The 293FT Cell line is ideal for generating high-titer lentivirus using the ViraPower™ Lentiviral Expression System. The 293FT Cell LineRead more
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Catalog number R70007
Price (USD)
1,072.00
Each
Add to cart
Price (USD)
1,072.00
Each
Add to cart
The 293FT Cell line is ideal for generating high-titer lentivirus using the ViraPower™ Lentiviral Expression System. The 293FT Cell Line is a fast-growing, highly transfectable clonal isolate derived from human embryonal kidney cells transformed with the SV40 large T antigen. When a ViraPower™ expression vector and the ViraPower™ Lentiviral Packaging Mix are co-transfected into 293FT cells, high levels of the viral RNA and the gag⁄pol and rev proteins required for packaging are produced.

Advantages
• Fast growing
• Highly transfectable
• Produces high viral titers
• Allows very high levels of protein

Key Features
• Presence of the SV40 large T antigen allows very high levels of protein to be expressed from vectors containing the SV40 origin. Higher, in fact, than other 293 cells or the T antigen-transformed COS cells classically used.

Kit includes
• 293FT Cell Line provided as a frozen stock in 1 ml of 90% complete media and 10% DMSO
For research use only. Not intended for any therapeutic or diagnostic use.
Specifications
Cell Line293FT
SpeciesHuman
Media RecommendationSFM (Serum Free Medium)
No. of Cells1 x 107
Product LineViraPower™
Unit SizeEach
Contents & Storage
• 293FT Cell Line (Store in liquid nitrogen)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Do 293FT cells lift off the plate during lentivirus production?

If 293FT cells detach shortly after transfection (4 hours to overnight):

- This may be a sign of Lipofectamine 2000 toxicity. Cells may have been plated too sparsely prior to transfection.
- The cells may not have been handled gently enough (these cells have a tendency to lift off easily).
- The cells may have been kept at room temperature for too long.

If cells detach 48 to 72 hours post-transfection:
- If the cells lift off in large sheets, this may be a sign of lentivirus production.

What are syncytia?

Syncytia are large multi-nucleated cells that result from VSV-G-induced fusion with neighboring 293FT producer cells. Syncytia production is indicative of high transfection efficiency and lentivirus production. Keep in mind, though, that the absence of syncytia does not mean that virus will not be produced.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

Why do I have to culture 293FT cells under Geneticin antibiotic selection?

The 293FT cell line stably expresses the SV40 large T antigen from the pCMVSPORT6Tag.neo plasmid that contains the neomycin resistance marker. In order to maintain the plasmid/phenotype, the cells have to be routinely cultured in medium containing Geneticin (G418) antibiotic at a concentration of 500 µg/mL.

Do you recommend a specific FBS for culturing 293FT cells? Which plastic plates do you recommend?

We use Mycoplasma-tested Gibco FBS (Cat. No. 16000-044). We have observed that when 293FT cells are cultured in the presence of this FBS following the instructions in the manual, virus production is better than that obtained with many other serum sources. We use the following plasticware for 293FT cells:

T175-Fisher Cat. No. 10-126-13; this is a Falcon flask with 0.2 µm vented plug seal cap.
T75-Fisher Cat. No. 07-200-68; this is a Costar flask with 0.2 µm vented seal cap.
100 mm plate-Fisher Cat. No. 08-772E; this is a Falcon tissue culture-treated polystyrene plate.
We get excellent adherence on these plates under routine cell culture/maintenance conditions.

What are the morphological changes that I should be looking for in my 293FT cells as signs of lentivirus production?

During lentivirus production, 293FT cells undergo the following morphological changes:
- They become multi-nucleated (syncytia development)
- They start to look like balloons or as if they are about to explode
- They often, but not always, lift off from the surface
- Untransfected 293FT cells leave empty spaces and “pile” up at other spots in the flask

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

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