What are chemically competent cells?

Chemically competent cells are bacteria treated to enhance uptake of foreign DNA compared to normal cells. E. coli is a hardy gram-negative bacterium chosen as a model organism and is frequently used in molecular biology research. To prepare chemically competent cells, E. coli are treated with calcium chloride (CaCl2) to facilitate attachment of foreign plasmid DNA to the cell membrane. Subsequently, these cells are heat-shocked in a water bath at 42°C, which opens the pores of the cell membrane allowing entry of foreign plasmid into the cell (transformation). Chemically competent cells are best suited for general cloning and subcloning applications. Tables 1–3 list the characteristics of the chemically competent E. coli strains.

Learn about the differences between chemically competent and electrocompetent cells

The requirements for efficiency are largely determined by the application. Chemically competent cell transformation efficiency ranges from 1 × 106 to >5 × 109 transformants per μg of DNA. We offer a wide range of chemically competent cells including MAX Efficiency, Library Efficiency, and Subcloning Efficiency™.

High efficiency chemically competent E. coli cells (>109 cfu⁄µg)

If DNA is limited or your experiment has intrinsic challenges, choosing a strain with the highest transformation efficiency will help achieve a positive experimental outcome. A modified Hanahan procedure is used to produce high-quality competent cells with high transformation efficiency which are difficult to achieve with DIY or in-house prepared cells.

Table 1. List of chemically competent cells with highest transformation efficiency

StrainContains F' episomeT1 resistance availableBlue-white screeningCloning methylated DNA
TOP10 family
DH10B family
DH10B T1 family
DH5α family
DH5α-T1R family
MAX Efficiency Stbl2 competent cells
Mach1 T1R family
OmniMAX 2 T1R chemically competent
E. coli
TOP10F´chemically competent E. coli
ccdB survival 2 T1R competent cells
PIR1 chemically competent E. coli

The requirements for efficiency are largely determined by the application. Chemically competent cell transformation efficiency ranges from 1 × 106 to >5 × 109 transformants per μg of DNA. We offer a wide range of chemically competent cells including MAX Efficiency, Library Efficiency, and Subcloning Efficiency™.

Medium efficiency chemically competent E. coli cells (108–109 cfu⁄µg)

For other challenging applications, such as blunt-end cloning, Library Efficiency competent cells can help achieve desired results. For cloning multiple fragments with Gibson Assembly, these cells aid in faster generation of clones.

Table 2. List of chemically competent cells with medium transformation efficiency

StrainContains F' episomeT1 resistance availableBlue-white screeningCloning methylated DNA
MAX Efficiency DH10Bac competent cells
DH5α family
TOP10 family
Stbl3 chemically competent E. coli
BL21 family
INVαF´chemically competent E. coli
MC1061/P3 chemically competent E. coli
TOP10/P3 chemically competent E. coli
PIR2 chemically competent E. coli

The requirements for efficiency are largely determined by the application. Chemically competent cell transformation efficiency ranges from 1 × 106 to >5 × 109 transformants per μg of DNA. We offer a wide range of chemically competent cells including MAX Efficiency, Library Efficiency, and Subcloning Efficiency™.

Subcloning efficiency of chemically competent E. coli cells (106–107 cfu⁄µg)

These cells are an economical choice for routine cloning applications, such as propagating vectors.

Table 3. List of chemically competent cells with subcloning efficiency

StrainContains F' episomeT1 resistance availableBlue-white screeningCloning methylated DNA
Subcloning Efficiency DH5α competent cells
INV110 chemically competent E. coli

The requirements for efficiency are largely determined by the application. Chemically competent cell transformation efficiency ranges from 1 × 106 to >5 × 109 transformants per μg of DNA. We offer a wide range of chemically competent cells including MAX Efficiency, Library Efficiency, and Subcloning Efficiency™.

High efficiency chemically competent E. coli cells (>109 cfu⁄µg)

If DNA is limited or your experiment has intrinsic challenges, choosing a strain with the highest transformation efficiency will help achieve a positive experimental outcome. A modified Hanahan procedure is used to produce high-quality competent cells with high transformation efficiency which are difficult to achieve with DIY or in-house prepared cells.

Table 1. List of chemically competent cells with highest transformation efficiency

StrainContains F' episomeT1 resistance availableBlue-white screeningCloning methylated DNA
TOP10 family
DH10B family
DH10B T1 family
DH5α family
DH5α-T1R family
MAX Efficiency Stbl2 competent cells
Mach1 T1R family
OmniMAX 2 T1R chemically competent
E. coli
TOP10F´chemically competent E. coli
ccdB survival 2 T1R competent cells
PIR1 chemically competent E. coli

The requirements for efficiency are largely determined by the application. Chemically competent cell transformation efficiency ranges from 1 × 106 to >5 × 109 transformants per μg of DNA. We offer a wide range of chemically competent cells including MAX Efficiency, Library Efficiency, and Subcloning Efficiency™.

Medium efficiency chemically competent E. coli cells (108–109 cfu⁄µg)

For other challenging applications, such as blunt-end cloning, Library Efficiency competent cells can help achieve desired results. For cloning multiple fragments with Gibson Assembly, these cells aid in faster generation of clones.

Table 2. List of chemically competent cells with medium transformation efficiency

StrainContains F' episomeT1 resistance availableBlue-white screeningCloning methylated DNA
MAX Efficiency DH10Bac competent cells
DH5α family
TOP10 family
Stbl3 chemically competent E. coli
BL21 family
INVαF´chemically competent E. coli
MC1061/P3 chemically competent E. coli
TOP10/P3 chemically competent E. coli
PIR2 chemically competent E. coli

The requirements for efficiency are largely determined by the application. Chemically competent cell transformation efficiency ranges from 1 × 106 to >5 × 109 transformants per μg of DNA. We offer a wide range of chemically competent cells including MAX Efficiency, Library Efficiency, and Subcloning Efficiency™.

Subcloning efficiency of chemically competent E. coli cells (106–107 cfu⁄µg)

These cells are an economical choice for routine cloning applications, such as propagating vectors.

Table 3. List of chemically competent cells with subcloning efficiency

StrainContains F' episomeT1 resistance availableBlue-white screeningCloning methylated DNA
Subcloning Efficiency DH5α competent cells
INV110 chemically competent E. coli

Chemically competent cells: Formats

To cater to the unique requirements of each project, we offer chemically competent cells in a variety of packaging formats, including One Shot, MultiShot, and standard formats.

Learn more about the chemically competent cell formats


Competent cells: Featured products

In addition to competent cells, we offer a broad suite of products for the cloning workflow.

Resources

Have any questions on competent cells or transformation? Click on the resources listed below to access overviews, videos, genotype guides, and educational resources.

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Short articles and digital handbook for cloning applications

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