Competent Cells for Transformation
A complete collection of single-use and high-throughput electrocompetent and chemically competent E. coli
Choosing the ideal competent cells for your cloning applications and workflows is a critical component of success. Aspects to consider when selecting your competent E. coli strain include:
- Transfection method – chemical versus electroporation
- Transformation efficiency – bacterial strain and genotype
- Downstream application – protein expression, library production, general cloning
Competent cells selection guide
Use the Component cell selection guide to help determine which competent cells are best suited for your cloning experiments.
Find the products you need to get started
Quickly find the right competent cell strain that fits your application and your budget. Find the right strain for your research. Each E. coli strain is specially engineered to keep you moving ahead.
| Application | E. coli strain | Available as high efficiency
|
|---|---|---|
| Routine cloning / subcloning | DH5α Family* | > 1 x 109 |
| DH10B Family* | > 1 x 109 | |
| TOP10 Family* | > 1 x 109 | |
| OmniMax 2 T1R* | > 5 x 109 | |
| Mach1 T1R* | > 1 x 109 | |
| Protein expression | BL21 Family* | N/A |
| Cloning unstable DNA | Stbl2, Stbl3*, Stbl4 | Stbl2: > 1 x 109 Stbl4: > 5 x 109 |
| Library production | DH10B Family ⚡ | > 1 x 1010 |
| Stbl4 ⚡ | > 5 x 109 | |
| OmniMax 2 T1R | > 5 x 109 | |
| ssDNA propagation | DH12S ⚡ | > 1 x 1010 |
| Bacmid creation | DH10Bac | N/A |
| Cre-lox recombination | PIR1 / PIR2 | PIR1: > 1 x 1010 |
| Single Strand DNA Isolation | TOP10 F' / TOP10 F' ⚡ | TOP10 F': > 1 x 109 TOP10 F' (LB): > 5 x 109 |
| INVαF' | N/A | |
| Highest efficiency | MegaX DH10B T1R ⚡ | > 3 x 1010 |
| Plasmid prep of SupF-containing vectors | TOP10/P3 | > 1 x 109 |
| MC1061/P3 | N/A | |
| Plasmid purification of dam or dcm methylation sensitive restriction enzymes | INV110 | N/A |
| Use with Gateway vectors and plasmids with ccdB gene | ccd B Survival T1R | > 1 x 109 |
| *Certain E. coli strains within the family are available in a high-throughput configuration. ⚡ = Electrocompetent cells. |
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Available competent cell formats
Our competent cells are offered in a variety of packaging formats including custom formats that fit your needs.
MultiShot product line overview
Resources
Cloning Support Center
Find tips, troubleshooting help, and resources for your
cloning applications
Competent cells resources
Have any questions on competent cells or transformation? Click below to access overviews, videos, genotype guides and educational resources.
Related products and Support
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.