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In the journey to scientific discoveries, every step plays a Regardless of the PCR and cloning steps you take, our
critical role in reaching your goals. As a partner for success Applied Biosystems™ and Invitrogen™ molecular biology
in your molecular biology experiments, we offer complete products enable you to discover with quicker results,
workflow solutions to facilitate each step of your research. more assurance, and less optimization. From nucleic acid
isolation to cloning, we are here to support you at every
Molecular biology involves investigation of nucleic acids for
step of your journey.
their structure, expression, and functions. Genomic DNA
and total RNA are routinely isolated from cells and tissues In this booklet, find the research tools that can help
for downstream applications such as reverse transcription, advance your science. For additional information,
PCR, and cloning. Cloning can be performed not only please go to thermofisher.com/everystepcounts
with restriction enzymes and a DNA ligase, but also with
techniques such as PCR, DNA recombination, and gene
synthesis. Electrophoresis is essential for verifying purity,
specificity, and quantity of the nucleic acid samples for
experimental success.
Contents
Reverse transcription 11
Reverse transcription reagents
Reverse transcription primers
PCR 14
Instruments
Plastics, seals, and accessories
Reagents
Primers
Purification
Educational resources 33
Frequently asked questions 35
Ordering information 37
Nucleic acid
isolation
4
Clone collections
We offer several types of clone collections—comprising Invitrogen™ Ultimate™
ORF clones, Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) full-length clones, bacterial
artificial chromosome (BAC) and P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) clones,
Nucleic acid
isolation
and yeast deletion and GFP clones, among others.
A budget-friendlier version, Ultimate™ ORF Clones LITE, are the same clones
without the final QC step.
Helpful tips
Fast track to expression and analysis Use our online tools, such as the
• Vast selection—over 16,000 Ultimate™ human ORF clones and over 2,500 CloneRanger™ selection guide and
Ultimate™ mouse ORF clones Ultimate ORF Browser, to find clones
with your genes of interest.
• Easy ordering—using the online Ultimate™ ORF browser
Learn more at
• Gateway™ pENTR™221 format—1-hour recombinatorial cloning into
thermofisher.com/cloneranger
expression vectors gets you to expression and analysis faster
thermofisher.com/
• 100% amino acid match-tested—sequence verification against GenBank™,
ultimateorfbrowser
Ensembl™, and Swiss-Prot™ databases. Before shipping, the clone culture
must pass a stringent QC test that includes end sequencing to verify the
identity of the clone
5
Genomic DNA isolation PureLink Pro 96
Genomic DNA
MagMAX Total
Nucleic Acid
Isolation Kit
Our genomic DNA (gDNA) isolation technology guide will Purification Kit
help you identify the right product for your sample type and
particular workflow.
Nucleic acid
Magnetic
isolation
Silica plate
Low throughput
Facts Silica
spin column
Organic
extraction
6
MagMAX-96 DNA PureLink Pro 96
Multi-Sample Kit Genomic DNA
Purification Kit
DNAzol
BD Reagent
Magnetic
Silica
beads
Nucleic acid
isolation
Organic
extraction
High throughput–compatible
(plate format)
Plant Virus
PureLink Pro 96
Viral RNA/DNA
High throughput–compatible Silica plate Purification Kit
Tissue
and
cells
Magnetic MagJET Viral DNA
beads and RNA Kit
Low throughput
PureLink Pro 96
MagMAX DNA MagMAX DNA PureLink Genomic
Genomic DNA DNAzol Reagent
Multi-Sample Kit Multi-Sample Kit DNA Mini Kit
Mini Kit
7
RNA isolation PureLink Pro 96
Total RNA
Purification Kit
Our RNA isolation technology guide will help you identify the MagMAX mirVana
TRIzol Plus RNA
right product for your sample type and specific workflow. Purification Kit Total RNA
Isolation Kit
Nucleic acid
isolation
MagMAX mirVana
Total RNA Isolation Kit
Difficult tissues
(>24 samples)
Medium-to-high sample
throughput (>24 samples)
MagMAX
FFPE Total
Nucleic Acid Medium-to-high throughput
Isolation Kit
Facts
RecoverAll
Total Nucleic Low-to-medium throughput
Acid Isolation (<16 samples)
Kit for FFPE
mirVana
PARIS Kit
• Your RNA isolations can be automated—
MagMAX mirVana
learn more at thermofisher.com/kingfisher Total RNA Isolation Kit
8
Cells-to-CT Cells-to-CT TaqMan Power
1-Step 1-Step Power Gene Expression SYBR Green
TaqMan Kit SYBR Green Kit Cells-to-CT Kit Cells-to-CT Kit
PureLink Pro 96
Total RNA
Purification Kit
Nucleic acid
1-step 2-step
isolation
qRT-PCR qRT-PCR Single
Cell-to-CT
qRT-PCR Kit
TRIzol Plus
RNA Purification Kit Low-to-medium sample Medium-to-high sample
throughput (1–50 samples) throughput (>24 samples)
MagMAX Total Nucleic
Acid Isolation Kit
Start here
(choose sample type)
MagMAX
FFPE Blood Small volume Medium-to-high sample mirVana Total
(≤500 µL) throughput (>24 samples) RNA Isolation Kit
LCM
Large volume
(≥3 mL) Low-to-medium sample TRIzol LS
Reagent
throughput (1–50 samples)
Single Cell-to-CT
qRT-PCR Kit
RNAqueous-Micro Leukocytes
Total RNA Whole blood
only
Isolation Kit
MagMAX
Tempus
for Stabilized
Spin RNA
Blood Tubes
Isolation Kit
RNA Isolation Kits
9
Quantitation and analysis
For workflows that involve nucleic acids, determining the concentration
(quantity) and purity (quality) of the sample is often a necessary step. The more Did you know
you know about your sample, the lower your potential risk of experimental
Nucleic acid
isolation
failure later. The quantitation range of dsDNA with the Qubit 3 Fluorometer is
0.01–1,000 ng/μL.
The Invitrogen™ Qubit™ 3.0 Fluorometer is the next generation of the benchtop
fluorometer that accurately measures DNA and RNA, using the highly sensitive
Qubit quantitation assays. The concentration of the target molecule is reported
by a fluorescent dye that emits a signal only when bound to the target.
10
Reverse transcription figure 5
ol
rm 5%
Sensitivity
te
pr 0%
an
gB %
n
us
Fo 002
Bu 5
op
ali
iso 1
0.
0.01 U/uL Hep
Degraded Arabidopsis RNA
Reverse transcription is the reverse transcriptase (RT)–mediated synthesis of A Target: Gin synthetase
SSIV
SSIV
SSIV
SSIV
40
SSIII
SSIII
SSIII
SSIII
BR
BL
BL
single-stranded DNA (complementary DNA or cDNA) using single-stranded
N
P
38 8.0 kb
6.0
RNA as a template. The cDNA can be used as a template for PCR amplification, 36
4.0
3.0
2.0
cDNA library construction, RNA sequencing, and more. Selecting the right RT 34
SuperScript III RT
SuperScript IV RT 1.5
1.0
for cDNA synthesis is critical to detecting low-abundance RNAs in a sample 32
P
Ct
BR 0.5
and obtaining high yields of full-length cDNA. Considerations for selecting the 30 Q
BL
transcription
right reverse transcriptase include: 28
Reverse
N
26
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Sensitivity
SuperScript IV RT
log10[degraded RNA] (ng)
SuperScript III RT
figure 7
The ability of an RT to generate cDNA from the lowest amount of input RNA Degraded Arabidopsis RNA
Size (kb)
Target: WRKY TF 70
is an important attribute when looking for low-copy genes or working with B 40
Thermostability 50°C C
BR
increasingly difficult sample sources where RNA becomes degraded during the
N
P
T
100
38
9
purification process (Figure 1A).
90
SSIII
36
80 SSIV 6
70 P SuperScript III RT
34
Activity (%) Ct
BR SuperScript IV RT
Thermostability
60
32 Q P 3
50
BL T
Thermostable RTs allow reactions to be performed at higher temperatures 40
30 N BR
30 Q 1.5
(Figure 1B), which helps denature RNA with strong secondary structure or high 28
20 BL
GC content. With complex RNA, reverse transcription at elevated temperatures 10 log10(ng degraded RNA)
N
0.5
0
may lead to longer cDNA, higher cDNA yields, and better coverage of RNA 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
cDNA strands in a shorter reaction time, and overall better efficiency in making
60
Facts
% Activity
50
full-length cDNA (Figure 1C). 40
30
• Wild type Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MLV) RT
20
10 displays poor thermostability, with optimal temperatures
0 at 37°C–42°C. SuperScript IV RT is engineered for high
50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66
thermostability and can withstand temperatures up
Temperature (°C)
to 65°C.
11
Reverse transcription reagent selection guide
Would you like
to have...
…the highest convenience and
…ability to optimize reaction …a complete kit with all cDNA least pipetting for RT-qPCR
components and conditions? synthesis reaction components? applications?
Product format Stand-alone enzyme First-strand cDNA synthesis kit for RT-qPCR
Reverse
Recommended product Invitrogen™ SuperScript™ IV Reverse Invitrogen™ SuperScript™ IV First-Strand Invitrogen™ SuperScript™ IV VILO™ Master Mix
Transcriptase Synthesis System
Applications RT-PCR, RT-qPCR, cloning, cDNA library RT-PCR, RT-qPCR, cloning, cDNA library RT-qPCR
construction, RACE, RNA-Seq construction, RACE, RNA-Seq
Input total RNA 1 pg–5 µg 1 pg–5 µg 1 pg–2.5 µg
Optimal reaction temperature 50–55°C 50–55°C 50°C
Reaction time 10 min 10 min 10 min
cDNA yield with challenging High High High
or degraded RNA
12
Reverse transcription primers
The priming strategy chosen for your reverse transcription is important for cDNA synthesis efficiency,
constancy, and yield. Each primer type has its benefits and drawbacks depending on the individual
target RNA.
For full-length first-strand cDNA synthesis, oligo(dT) primers are recommended because of their specificities
to eukaryotic mRNA, and they allow many different targets to be studied from the same cDNA pool.
Oligo(dT) primers typically contain strings of 12–20 deoxythymidines.
transcription
Reverse
For target mRNA containing strong transcriptional pauses, random primers are better suited to anneal
throughout the target molecules. They are also ideal for nonpolyadenylated RNA such as bacterial RNA.
Helpful tips
To avoid poly(A) slippage during priming, anchored
oligo(dT) primers can be used to anneal to the 5´ end of
the poly(A) tail of mRNA and prevent priming within the
poly(A) tail. Learn more about selection of RT primers at
thermofisher.com/rtprimers
13
PCR
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique that is central to molecular A
biology research. Developed by Kary Mullis in 1983, this method revolutionized
genetic research, opening many doors to new applications in medicine and
biotechnology. PCR applications include cloning, gene expression analysis,
genotyping, sequencing, and mutagenesis. PCR is also used in research for
infectious diseases, cancer, and forensic analysis. It is also a critical tool in
agricultural biotechnology—in numerous steps from discovery to applications,
such as plant pathogen detection and quality control purposes.
PCR instruments
PCR
Since we introduced the first automated PCR machine, also known as a thermal B
cycler, in 1987, our engineers have continued to design, develop, and support
innovative PCR instruments to empower your research.
Our Applied Biosystems™ Veriti™ and SimpliAmp™ Thermal Cyclers, and the
ProFlex™ PCR System, have updated color touch screens for easy programming
and monitoring of your run status at the bench (Figure 3A). The VeriFlex™
technology inside each thermal cycler enables highly accurate determination
of optimal annealing temperature (Figure 3B). Now the ProFlex PCR System
and the SimpliAmp Thermal Cycler are cloud-enabled, allowing secure access
to your thermal cycler from any mobile device or desktop computer, and Figure 3. Applied Biosystems™ thermal cyclers features: (A) Easy-to-use color touch screen and
Thermo Fisher Cloud. (B) VeriFlex technology for precise temperature control.
Facts
Sample evaporation can lead to a change in pH, an
increase in salt concentration, and a decrease in
Helpful tips
thermal mass. Applied Biosystems thermal cyclers
demonstrate consistently low evaporation. Using the right PCR plastics for your application and instrument can
improve the reliability of your PCR results. Go to thermofisher.com/
All of our thermal cyclers come standard with a
pcrplasticsselection to determine the right PCR plastics for you.
2-year warranty.
14
Cloud-enabled Cloud-enabled
PCR
different block formats for optimization and optimization—features VeriFlex™ Blocks for interface, fast protocol setup, and convenient
throughput, including the triple 32-well block with precise temperature control protocol transfer with a USB memory stick
independent control
• Remote access—design protocols and * Available for In Vitro Diagnostic Use.
• Remote access—design protocols and
check run status from any mobile device or
check run status from any mobile device or
desktop computer
desktop computer
15
PCR plastics, seals, and accessories
Applied Biosystems™ MicroAmp™ plastic consumables offer excellent PCR and
qPCR performance in formats developed to meet your experimental needs. All
of our plastics are validated with Applied Biosystems™ instruments for optimal fit
and performance.
We offer a variety of 96-well plates, 384-well plates, tube strips, single tubes,
caps, and seals. Use our online interactive selection guide or download the
compatibility table, to find the right products for your instrument.
Colors available Clear, or mixed packs containing red, Clear Single-color packs (red, blue, green, Clear
orange, blue, and green yellow, or clear) and 5-plate sampler
(one of each color)
Barcode No Yes (1 or 2 sides) Yes (3 sides) Yes (3 sides)
Optical compatibility Yes (applicable for optical version) Yes Yes Yes
16
PCR reagents
PCR is highly efficient and specific, generating millions of copies of target DNA from just a few molecules.
Due to the sensitive and specific nature of the PCR process, it is important to choose high-quality PCR
products to produce optimal results. As early innovators of PCR enzymes and reagents, we continue to
develop new PCR enzymes and master mixes with the highest performance and quality.
Time (min)
0 5 15
PCR
Figure 4. Simplified PCR workflow. Direct gel loading of PCR products eliminates tedious steps of dye addition. Left lane of gel shows
PCR reaction mixture prior to electrophoresis. Right two lanes show gel dye migration following 5 and 15 minutes of electrophoresis.
Helpful tips
Did you know One of the most common PCR troubleshooting issues
is the presence of unwanted bands or nonspecific
Annealing temperature rules can vary when using different DNA amplification. To reduce nonspecific amplification:
polymerases. For example, annealing temperature rules for
Platinum™ SuperFi™ DNA Polymerase are different from those of Taq- • Optimize annealing temperature
based DNA polymerases. For optimal results, use the Tm calculator • Check primer design
on our website. • Perform hot-start PCR
• Prevent DNA cross-contamination
Go to thermofisher.com/tmcalculator • Decrease template and/or primer concentration
• Optimize Mg2+ concentration
17
Choose the right PCR reagent for your research needs
We offer a comprehensive portfolio of PCR enzymes and master mixes with the high performance and
consistency you need. Standard Taq DNA polymerases provide reliable amplification for routine PCR
applications. Hot-start PCR reduces nonspecific amplification, increases the yield of the target amplicons,
and allows for convenient room-temperature reaction setup. High-fidelity PCR is required for applications
where sequence accuracy is crucial.
Start with the selection guide below to find the best enzyme for common PCR applications.
Find more options at thermofisher.com/pcrenzymes
Do you need to …
PCR
Formats available
Stand-alone enzyme Colorless Colorless/green** Colorless/green**
18
PCR primers Helpful tips
Good design (i.e., good sequence selection) and high quality of primers are critical to your PCR reactions.
In general, a length of 18–30 nucleotides for primers is optimal. The melting temperatures (Tm) of the If the Tm of your primer is very low, try to
primers should be between 65°C and 75°C, and within 5°C of each other. find a sequence with higher GC content;
alternatively, the length of the primer
Take advantage of our Primer3-based, easy-to-use, and efficient Invitrogen™ OligoPerfect™ primer designer. can be extended.
PCR
DNA oligos Did you know
Backed by over 20 years of customer service experience, our custom DNA oligos are synthesized on
a highly automated, computer-controlled system followed by rigorous quality control, such as mass
• We offer value oligos, available
spectrometry for short oligos and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for long oligos, to help ensure the quality of at 25 nmol and 50 nmol scales.
the process and end product. Ordering these oligos is cost-
effective and fast whether you
The appropriate synthesis scale and purification for your application depend on the nature of your need a 5-mer, 40-mer, or anything
in between. Learn more at
downstream applications. Choose the right oligos and purification methods for your applications:
thermofisher.com/valueoligos
19
PCR purification
PCR products are routinely purified to remove primers, nonspecific amplicons, Sample
unincorporated dNTPs, enzymes, failed PCR products, and salts that may preparation
We offer the Invitrogen PureLink PCR Purification Kit for rapid and efficient
™ ™
removal of primers, dNTPs, enzymes, and salts. The kit has a high binding
capacity (up to 40 μg) and a convenient protocol that can be completed in less
than 10 minutes, with no need for extra pH adjustment.
PCR
Helpful tips
• Increase the yield of your clean-up prep by 10–20% by incubating
the elution buffer for >1 min and eluting the DNA off the column a Elution
second time
20
Nucleic acid electrophoresis
Electrophoresis is a common lab technique used to identify, quantify, and purify nucleic acid
fragments. Samples are loaded into wells of an agarose or polyacrylamide gel and subjected
to an electric field, moving the negatively charged nucleic acids toward the positive
electrode. Shorter DNA fragments travel more rapidly, whereas longer fragments move more
slowly, resulting in separation based on size.
electrophoresis
Nucleic acid
nucleic acid electrophoresis and reduced exposure to harmful chemicals commonly used in do-it-
yourself methods. E-Gel precast agarose gels are ready for use with agarose and DNA stain (ethidium
bromide or Invitrogen™ SYBR™ Safe DNA Gel Stain) packaged inside a disposable cassette. E-Gel
agarose gels offer excellent resolution and clarity in as little as 10 minutes. The gels are ideal for
analysis of PCR products, restriction digests, plasmid preparations, and the preparation of next-
generation sequencing (NGS) libraries and high-throughput applications.
21
Table 4. List of precast Invitrogen™ E-Gel agarose gels.
Goals General purpose Fastest resolving gel High-efficiency DNA purification for NGS High throughput
cloning
Precast gel types E-Gel™ E-Gel™ EX E-Gel™ CloneWell™ E-Gel™ SizeSelect™ E-Gel™ NGS E-Gel™ 48 E-Gel™ 96
Number of wells Single row of 12 or Single row of 11 wells 2 rows with 8 sample 2 rows with 8 sample Single row of 11 wells 48 sample wells and 96 sample wells and
2 rows with 8 samples wells and 1 marker well wells and 1 marker well 4 marker wells 8 marker wells
and 1 marker well
Stain SYBR Safe DNA stain Proprietary SYBR Safe DNA stain Proprietary SYBR Safe DNA stain Ethidium bromide SYBR Safe DNA stain
(details in Table 5) or ethidium bromide or ethidium bromide
% agarose 0.8, 1.2, 2.0, 4.0% 1.0, 2.0% 0.8% 0.8, 2.0% 0.8% 1.0, 2.0, 4.0% 1.0, 2.0%
Resolution 20 bp–10 kb 50 bp–5 kb 100 bp–6 kb 50 bp–2 kb 800 bp–10 kb 10 bp–10 kb 100 bp–2 kb
Run time 30 min 10 min 14–36 min 8–20 min 20 min 20 min 12 min
Sample volume 20 µL 20 µL 20–25 µL 20–25 µL 20 µL 15 µL 20 µL
Pour-your-own agarose
Custom gels may be cast from powder agarose according to established
laboratory protocols or to address specific needs. UltraPure agarose is a
Did you know
electrophoresis
Nucleic acid
Gel extraction
Gel extraction is a technique to isolate and purify a desired DNA fragment
from an agarose gel after separation. Similar to PCR purification, gel extraction
removes unincorporated primers, enzymes, salts, and other impurities
that could interfere with downstream applications. It is commonly used to
isolate desired DNA fragments after restriction enzyme digestion, PCR, and
fragmentation for cloning and sequencing.
22
DNA ladders DNA stains
We offer unique DNA ladders and markers for a wide variety of size ranges, Our fluorescent Invitrogen™ SYBR™ Green I, SYBR Safe, and SYBR™ Gold
applications, and formats. The key to accurate band analysis is to use the stains are highly sensitive reagents for staining DNA in electrophoresis gels
correct marker or standard for your particular application. Use the selection (Table 5). These gel stains provide greater sensitivity with lower background
chart to help you choose the ladder with the most appropriate size range for fluorescence than the conventional ethidium bromide stain.
your application. Some of our ladders are also optimized for our convenient
E-Gel system. For quantitative estimation, we recommend you choose from our Table 5. Fluorescent nucleic acid gel stains.
DNA mass ladders. Standard Safer detection Enhanced Ultimate
detection detection detection
UltraPure
Double-stranded nucleic acid markers SYBR Green I SYBR Gold
Ethidium SYBR Safe stain
stain stain
Bromide
Highly sensitive Ultrasensitive
50 bp DNA Ladder 50–800 bp Sensitivity (dsDNA) Sensitive (1 ng) Sensitive (1 ng)
(>60 pg) (>25 pg)
100 bp DNA Ladder 100–1,500 bp
Nonhazardous and
E-Gel Kb Plus DNA Ladder 100–12,000 bp environmentally ✔
friendly
1 Kb Plus DNA Ladder 100–12,000 bp
Improved cloning
✔ ✔ ✔
1 Kb DNA Extension Ladder 500–40,000 bp efficiency
Low DNA Mass Ladder 100–2,000 bp
electrophoresis
Nucleic acid
E-Gel Low Range Quantitative DNA Ladder 100–2,000 bp
Exposure 0 10 20 30 45 60 90 120
E-Gel High Range DNA Ladder 400–10,000 bp
(seconds)
0 10 bp 100 bp 500 bp 1,000 bp 5,000 bp 10,000 bp 50,000 bp
SYBR Safe
+ blue light
Learn more at thermofisher.com/ladders
EtBr
+ UV light
Did you know Figure 6. Enhanced cloning efficiency of DNA fragments stained with SYBR Safe DNA Gel
Stain and visualized with the Invitrogen™ Safe Imager™ blue-light transilluminator. The DNA
fragment (the lacZ gene) was stained with either SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain or ethidium bromide
• A variety of these ladders are available in a ready-
(EtBr) during electrophoresis, and then exposed to blue or UV light, respectively, for the indicated
to-load format—no need to heat, mix, or dilute prior times. Cloning efficiency of the gel-purified lacZ fragment was measured by the number of blue
to loading colonies formed on the X-Gal plates, which indicates insertion of the functional (nonmutated) gene
into the vector.
• All DNA ladders are now shipped at ambient
temperature without impacting quality and stability
23
Cloning and gene synthesis
Did you know
For over 25 years, we have provided innovative tools for DNA cloning—continually We have over 200 vectors available for
improving old technologies and developing new ones. From restriction enzymes to applications ranging from basic subcloning to
gene synthesis, we have a large portfolio of tools and resources to help you achieve inducible mammalian expression. To select the
high-quality cloned DNA for your next discovery (Table 6). most suitable vector for your application, go to
thermofisher.com/vectors. Custom vectors
are also available through the Invitrogen™
GeneArt™ Elements™ service.
Table 6. Invitrogen™ portfolio of tools and associated features for DNA cloning.
Restriction GeneArt Seamless GeneArt Type IIs GeneArt Strings DNA GeneArt Gene
enzyme cloning TOPO cloning Gateway cloning Cloning assembly Fragments Synthesis
Key benefits • Flexible and • >95% efficiency, • Shuttling ORF • Seamless directional • Seamless directional • Synthesized DNA • Custom-cloned
economical 5 min PCR among multiple cloning of ≤4 fragments cloning of ≤8 fragments ready to genes in vector
cloning expression for up to 40 kb total fragments for up to clone via the method of • Sequence-verified
systems 20 kb total your choice
• Compatible
• Can be optimized
with many other • Efficient for repetitive • Pool sequence-verified for maximal protein
cloning systems and very small expression
sequences
Technology basics • Restriction • Topoisomerase- • Single-step, • End-terminal homology • Type IIs restriction • Linear dsDNA • DNA of interest
digestion and based, ligase-free directional, and recombination using and ligation in a assembled from cloned in vector
ligation cloning site-specific DNA overlapping sequences single reaction pooled, synthetic • 100% sequence-
recombination oligonucleotides
verified with
• Restriction • 150–3,000 bp, also quality assurance
enzyme– and available in library format documentation
ligase-free with randomized bases
gene synthesis
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
material (gene in
plasmid, library, etc.)
Use your own vector ✔ * ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
* Vector needs to be converted with Invitrogen™ Gateway™ Vector Conversion System with One Shot™ ccdB Survival™ 2 T1R Competent Cells
24
Restriction enzyme cloning
Where would modern molecular biology research be without restriction
enzymes? Found naturally in bacteria, restriction enzymes recognize and cleave bp
L C1 1 2 3 C2 4 5 6 bp L C1 1 2 3 C2 4 5 6
12,000
12,000
specific DNA sequences, resulting in sticky ends (5΄ or 3΄ protruding ends) or 5,000
5,000
2,000
blunt ends, enabling DNA inserts to be cloned into vectors with compatible 2,000
1,000
ends. This traditional method for cloning DNA can be divided into three main 1,000
500
500
steps: digestion, modification, and ligation of DNA. Each step requires high- 300
200
300
200
100 100
quality, reliable enzymes to ensure success.
15 min 16 hr
Some restriction enzymes can exhibit star activity, or decreased specificity Figure 7. Anza restriction enzymes show complete digestion in L – 1 Kb Plus DNA Ladder
for their DNA recognition site, with prolonged digestions. Star activity results 15 min with no star activity after overnight digestion. Plasmid DNA C1 – Undigested plasmid DNA
1 – Anza 11 EcoRI enzyme
in nonspecific cleavage of DNA and can occur under suboptimal reaction (6.2 kb) and purified PCR product (1.6 kb) were digested using Invitrogen™ 2 – Anza 12 XbaI enzyme
Anza™ 11 EcoRI, Anza 12 XbaI, and Anza 1 NotI restriction enzymes. 3 – Anza 1 NotI enzyme
conditions, such as high glycerol content or presence of Mg2+. Invitrogen™ Reaction mixtures included 1 µg of DNA and 1 µL of restriction enzyme in
C2 – Undigested PCR fragment
4 – Anza 11 EcoRI enzyme
Anza™ restriction enzymes, in conjunction with the Anza™ 10X buffer, have been a total volume of 20 µL, following the recommended protocol. Incubation 5 – Anza 12 XbaI enzyme
6 – Anza 1 NotI enzyme
optimized for flexibility in digestion times without having to worry about star was done at 37°C for 15 min or 16 hr.
gene sythesis
Cloning and
Helpful tips
The CloningBench mobile app now features Anza
restriction enzymes and modifying tools. Find the
The system offers: right Anza restriction enzyme for your research
• One buffer for all restriction enzymes using simple and single search functionality. View
• One digestion protocol for all DNA types datasheets and add Anza restriction enzymes to your
cart to share via email or immediate checkout.
• Complete digestion in 15 min
• Overnight digestion without star activity Download for free at
thermofisher.com/cloningbench
Learn more at thermofisher.com/anza
25
TOPO cloning
PCR cloning is a technique used to directly insert PCR products into a plasmid Perform PCR Add 1 µL of PCR Perform transformation
with Taq or a reaction to 1 µL of Incubate 5 minutes at with provided competent
vector. Invitrogen™ TOPO™ cloning technology allows a quick, simple, and proofreading polymerase TOPO cloning vector room temperature E. coli strain
efficient way to clone PCR products. The key to TOPO cloning is the enzyme PCR product A
PCR product
A
DNA topoisomerase I, which has a ligase function. TOPO cloning vectors are CACC
PCR product
TOPO
TOPO
on each end, enabling the vectors to readily ligate DNA sequences with cloning
vector
compatible ends and eliminating the need for additional ligation steps.
Figure 8. TOPO PCR cloning requires just three easy steps. Simply combine your PCR product
TOPO cloning technology is:
and a TOPO cloning vector in the provided reaction buffer, wait 5 minutes, then transform an E. coli
strain. With TOPO cloning, the additional time, steps, and reagents required for ligase-mediated
• Efficient—up to 95% of clones contain desired insert cloning are eliminated.
Select a TOPO cloning solution whether you are performing general subcloning, Did you know
sequencing, TA cloning, blunt-end cloning, long-fragment cloning, expression
vector cloning, directional cloning, or using the Gateway™ system. The Invitrogen™ TOPO™ XL-2 Complete PCR Cloning Kit provides all
the necessary elements for highly efficient cloning of extra-long PCR
gene synthesis
26
Gateway cloning
Gateway cloning technology is the easy-to-use choice for cloning into multiple Gateway cloning offers:
expression systems. There is no need for subcloning or spending hours to
• Easy solution—no need for restriction enzymes or ligation to maintain
screen and resequence countless colonies.
orientations and reading frames for expression-ready clones
gene sytnesis
att att att att
Cloning and
BioTechniques PDF at
Figure 9. Gateway technology facilitates cloning of genes into and back out of multiple thermofisher.com/gateway
vectors via site-specific recombination. Once a gene is cloned into an entry clone you can move
the DNA fragment into one or more destination vectors simultaneously.
27
GeneArt Seamless Cloning and Assembly Kit
Invitrogen™ GeneArt™ Seamless Cloning and Assembly Kit enables in vitro The GeneArt Seamless Cloning and Assembly Kit is:
cloning of up to 4 DNA fragments simultaneously into virtually any linearized
• Flexible—use any vector of your choice
vector, typically in 30 minutes, without extra DNA sequences, restriction
endonucleases, or ligation. With potential construct sizes of up to 40 kb, • Precise—no scars; clone what you want and where you want
our kits offer researchers the flexibility and convenience to complete basic,
• Efficient—cloning efficiency >90%
standard, and advanced cloning and assembly protocols.
8
Ligate
1
Restriction Incubate
4 1 Primer design
GeneArt Primer
enzyme digest fragments + vector and Construct
2
GeneArt Design Tool
Ge
Enzyme/Buffer
Mix
neA
• Inactivate enzyme Verify
vs.
rt String DNA Fr
• Reaction cleanup
8–32 3–4
• DNA loss
6
steps
3 steps
s
3 2
gene synthesis
Cloning and
• Inactivate enzyme
Dephosphorylate • Reaction cleanup
a
vector • DNA loss
g
Verify
me
5
PCR amplification
nts
or sequence
• Inactivate enzyme
• Reaction cleanup End repair PCR
• DNA loss
28
GeneArt Type IIs Assembly Kit
Are you assembling more than 4 fragments? Invitrogen™ GeneArt™ Type IIs
Assembly kits are perfect for simultaneously assembling up to 8 fragments in
any order; you can assemble Invitrogen™ GeneArt™ Strings™ DNA Fragments or
Libraries, GeneArt™ TALs, gene variants, and repetitive or small sequences.
gene synthesis
Cloning and
Helpful tips
• Use the free online web tool to design oligos and assemble DNA molecules
in silico for both types of GeneArt cloning and assembly kits found here:
thermofisher.com/order/oligoDesigner
29
GeneArt Gene Synthesis Did you know
Have you ever lacked the time to clone your favorite gene? Conventional PCR
and cloning techniques require optimization and troubleshooting, which take We also offer custom GeneArt™ services—from custom
up valuable lab time and resources. Invitrogen™ GeneArt™ Gene Synthesis cell lines and protein production to cloning, mutagenesis,
makes your favorite gene analogous to an optimized, error-free PCR reaction. plasmid prep, and directed evolution services.
GeneArt Gene Synthesis GeneArt Strings DNA Fragments GeneArt Strings DNA Libraries
A reliable and cost-effective method for obtaining A time-saving alternative to PCR, GeneArt Strings GeneArt Strings DNA Libraries are custom-
customized DNA constructs with 100% sequence DNA Fragments are available up to 3 kb and are made, synthetic double-stranded GeneArt
accuracy, GeneArt Gene Synthesis offers: compatible with any downstream cloning method of Strings DNA Fragments that contain randomized
choice, providing: nucleotides and are ready for cloning. They are an
• The GeneArt™ Portal for easy online editing
affordable alternative to complete gene synthesis
and ordering • 100% pool-sequence verification or combinatorial libraries. GeneArt Strings DNA
gene sytnthesis
• Outstanding quality—ISO 9001:2008 certification • Ready-to-clone DNA fragments using the method Libraries offer:
Cloning and
30
Transformation
Once the DNA fragment is cloned into a vector, transformation is performed Invitrogen™ libraries of chemically competent and electrocompetent cells are
to enable propagation, within a bacterial culture, of sufficient quantities of designed to be:
your cloned DNA for downstream experiments. Transformation is a naturally
• Innovative—advanced strains that grow faster, produce more colonies, and
occurring process in which bacterial cells take up foreign DNA at a low
offer more protection against phage contamination and DNA recombination
frequency. In molecular biology applications, this process is enhanced
and exploited to propagate plasmids inside bacteria that have been made • Reliable—years of proven performance and documented
competent (permeable) for more efficient DNA uptake. lot-to-lot consistency
One Shot MAX Efficiency DH10B T1R E. coli One Shot OmniMAX 2 T1R Chemically Competent E. coli One Shot BL21 Star (DE3) Chemically Competent E. coli Single-stranded DNA production
One Shot TOP10 Chemically Competent E. coli High-throughput cloning One Shot BL21-A1 Chemically Competent E. coli ElectroMAX DH12S Cells
Library Efficiency DH5α Competent Cells MultiShot StripWell TOP10 Chemically Competent E. coli Propagating unmethylated DNA
Subcloning Efficiency DH5α Competent Cells MultiShot TOP10 Chemically Competent E. coli One Shot INV110 Chemically Competent E. coli
MultiShot StripWell Mach1 T1R Chemically Competent
E. coli
Recombinant baculovirus production
MAX Efficiency DH10Bac Competent Cells
gene synthesis
Cloning and
For a more comprehensive selection guide for competent cells, download a copy at thermofisher.com/compcells or download the CloningBench mobile app at thermofisher.com/cloningbench
Facts
Applications and features of popular competent cell strains:
• TOP10 cells (subcloning and high-throughput) • One Shot OmniMAX 2 T1R cells • DH5α™ cells (subcloning, increased yield)
• Stbl3 cells (cloning unstable DNA)
™ (highest-efficiency subcloning)
• DH10B™ cells (general subcloning)
• One Shot BL21 Star cells (protein expression) • Mach1 T1 cells (fast-growing, subcloning)
™ R
31
Plasmid DNA isolation
Low plasmid DNA recovery, as well as impurities such as protein, salts, RNA,
or genomic DNA, can adversely affect cloning and PCR reactions. Different
purity grades result from different plasmid DNA isolation technologies and are
appropriate at different points in the cloning workflow.
Organic extraction
Purity grade Advanced transfection Transfection Molecular
Endotoxin classification Endotoxin-free Low-endotoxin Standard
Endotoxin level <0.1 EU/μg 0.1–1 EU/μg 1–10 EU/μg
Application Transfection in sensitive cell lines • Transfection in traditional cell lines • Cloning
(i.e., primary cells) • In vitro transcription • Nucleic acid labeling
• All molecular-grade applications • PCR
• Sequencing
• Transformation
We recommend using molecular-grade plasmid DNA for cloning and vector Helpful tips
verification (sequencing, enzyme digestion) and transfection-grade plasmid
DNA for the final vector. Molecular-grade plasmid DNA is not recommended for Once your plasmid has been validated and is ready to be scaled
transfection due to relatively high levels of endotoxin and RNA contamination, up for transfection experiments, keep the following in mind:
which can decrease cell viability and expression.
gene synthesis
Sufficient amounts (<50 µg) of molecular-grade plasmid DNA can be purified cell lines and thus require larger preps (midi-, maxi-, mega-,
using silica-membrane mini columns (i.e., Invitrogen™ PureLink™ Quick Plasmid or gigaprep)
Miniprep Kit) for molecular biology applications. Once a vector is validated, • Kits for purification of transfection-grade or advanced
larger quantities (500 µg–1 mg) of required transfection-grade plasmid DNA transfection–grade plasmid should be used
can be purified using anion exchange resin (i.e., Invitrogen™ PureLink™ HiPure
• RNA contamination can interfere with transfection
Midiprep or Maxiprep Kit).
• Using PureLink HiPure plasmid purification kits helps address
all of the concerns listed above
32
Educational resources Other resources
Tap into our free educational resources whenever you need help to take Watch live and recorded webinars for
in-depth understanding of molecular and
your research to the next level. Whether to review the basics, gain more synthetic biology techniques and tools to
help elevate your research.
in-depth knowledge, or discover our latest innovative technologies, this thermofisher.com/mbwebinars
is an educational hub with rich and reliable technical content for new and
Experience entertaining and visual
experienced molecular biologists alike. learning with our educational videos on
molecular biology techniques, how-tos,
tips and tricks, and more.
thermofisher.com/mbvideos
Resources
33
CloningBench mobile app
Supercharge your cloning success at the bench or on the move. Our CloningBench mobile app provides
useful and essentials tools to help guide your cloning experiments.
34
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions from our support centers: I’m setting up my RT reaction and am trying to decide whether I should use
What are the best ways to improve my RNA isolation? random primers, oligo(dT) primers, gene-specific primers, or oligo(dT)/
These are the top 10 ways to improve your RNA isolation results: random mix primers. What would you suggest?
Random primers are the best choice for degraded RNA, RNA with heavy secondary
• Immediately inactivate endogenous, intracellular RNases
structure, nonpolyadenylated RNA, or prokaryotic RNA. It is recommended only for
• Use proper cell or tissue storage conditions two-step RT-PCR, and typically gives the highest yields, although the cDNA may not
• Thoroughly homogenize samples necessarily be full-length. Oligo(dT) primers are good to use when trying to recover
full-length cDNA from 2-step RT-PCR. The reaction is influenced by secondary structure
• Pretreat cell homogenate before RNA isolation to remove interfering compounds
and RNA quality. Gene-specific primers should be used for very specific, mainly one-
• Choose the best RNA isolation method for your sample step RT-PCR reactions.
• Include a DNase treatment
My PCR tubes got deformed after thermal cycling. What is wrong?
• Reduce exposure to environmental RNases The heated thermal cycler lid is designed to make sure that optimized pressure is
• Precipitate appropriately for the downstream application applied on the microplate for an efficient PCR reaction. When using PCR tubes, excess
pressure on the tubes from the heated lid can cause deformation of the tubes. To avoid
• Resupend the RNA properly this, we recommend using the following tray/retainer sets:
• Store the RNA properly after isolation • Cat. No. 4381850, Applied Biosystems™ MicroAmp™ 96-Well Tray/Retainer Set
How can I determine if an RNA sample has genomic DNA contamination? What for Veriti systems—this tray is for use with MicroAmp™ Strip Tubes (or MicroAmp™
will the A 260/A 280, A 260/A 230, and 28S/18S ratios indicate about an RNA sample, and Reaction Tubes without Caps, 0.2 mL), with the Veriti Thermal Cycler, SimpliAmp
why are these values useful? Thermal Cycler, and ProFlex PCR System.
RNA and DNA absorb at 260 nm, while protein absorbs at 280 nm. UV/Vis • Cat. No. 403081, Applied Biosystems™ MicroAmp™ 96-Well Tray/Retainer Set—this
spectrophotometry will give you an RNA/DNA absorbance ratio, therefore indicating the tray is for use with MicroAmp Strip Tubes (or MicroAmp Reaction Tubes without
purity of your sample. For RNA, the A260/A280 ratio should be approximately 2.0. If the ratio Caps, 0.2 mL), with the 7000 System, 2720 Thermal Cycler, and GeneAmp™ PCR
is lower, this indicates protein and/or DNA contamination of your sample. The A260/A230 System 9700.
values are a measure for pure nucleic acids, with an expected range between 2.0 and
• Cat. No. 4379983, Applied Biosystems™ MicroAmp™ 96-Well Tray for VeriFlex Blocks—
2.2. If the ratio is much lower than this, contaminants are present in your sample (typically
this tray is for use with MicroAmp Strip Tubes (or MicroAmp Reaction Tubes with
phenol, guanidine, or ethanol).
Caps, 0.2 mL), with the Veriti Thermal Cycler, Veriti Fast Thermal Cycler, SimpliAmp
The 28S and 18S bands are indicative of intact RNA. On a gel, the 28S and 18S bands Thermal Cycler, and ProFlex PCR System.
should be present in an approximately 2:1 ratio.
FAQs
35
I’m getting no bands from my PCR product. What could cause this? What are some tips you can give me to obtain the highest transformation
Here are some possible causes: efficiency for my competent cells?
Some suggestions that will help you to obtain the highest transformation efficiency are:
• Suboptimal template quality or quantity: poor integrity, poor purity, and/or too little or
• Thaw competent cells on ice instead of room temperature; do not vortex cells.
too much template
• Add DNA to competent cells once thawed.
• Incorrect primer design
• Ensure that the incubation times are followed as outlined in the protocol for the
• Suboptimal cycling conditions: e.g., annealing temperature, number of cycles competent cell strain you are working with; changes in the length of time can
decrease efficiency.
• Suboptimal reaction conditions: insufficient amount of polymerase, primers, or Mg2+;
inhibition by dUTP if high-fidelity DNA polymerase is used • Remove salts and other contaminants from your DNA sample; DNA can be purified
before transformation using a spin column, or phenol-chloroform extraction and
• Difficult template: GC-rich or long amplicons may need more powerful enzyme
ethanol precipitation can be employed.
• Activation step for hot-start polymerase is not at a high enough temperature, or time
I’m getting no or low yields from my column-based plasmid purification
is not long enough
experiment. What do you suggest I try?
How can I get better separation of my bands after nucleic acid gel electrophoresis? Here are some suggestions:
First check the percentage of your agarose gel. A higher percentage will help you to • Make sure the binding of the plasmid is done at room temperature (RT). Temperature
resolve smaller fragments, while a lower percentage will help you to resolve larger affects the pH of the binding solution. Make sure all other solutions were also warmed
fragments. to RT.
What is the best ratio of insert:vector to use for cloning? Is there an equation to • Verify that the centrifugation immediately following the neutralization step was not
calculate this? done at 4°C. If it was, the supernatant must be warmed to RT before binding on the
You may have to try different insert:vector ratios ranging from 1:1 to 15:1. column. We find that the DNA binds to the matrix of the columns better if the lysate is
at room temperature.
Equation:
• Low copy number plasmid may have been used. Check plasmid.
length of insert (bp)
x ng of vector = ng of insert needed for 1:1 insert:vector • The medium may not have been completely removed at the cell harvesting step, so
length of vector (bp)
the pH of the subsequent steps was affected.
For calculations at your fingertips, check out our CloningBench moblie app at
• The cell pellet may not have been thoroughly resuspended in the resuspension step.
thermofisher.com/cloningbench
• Purified DNA may have been overdried after the isopropanol precipitation and ethanol
Are there any limitations on the insert length in Gateway cloning?
wash. Only air-dry the pellet.
There is no theoretical size limitation. PCR products between 100 bp and 11 kb have
been readily cloned into a Gateway™ pDONR™ vector. Other DNA pieces as large as • The pellet may have been lost during the isopropanol precipitation and ethanol wash.
150 kb with att sites will successfully recombine with a Gateway cloning–compatible Be careful at this step, as the pellet tends to be slippery. It is best to pipet off alcohol
vector. Overnight incubation is recommended for large inserts. solutions rather than pour them off.
• Try elution of DNA with heated elution buffer. For plasmids less than 10 kb, no heating
is required. For 10–30 kb, heating (65–70°C) is optional, and may increase elution
efficiency by ~20%. For plasmids >30 kb, heating is recommended, and may increase
elution efficiency by ~50%. Perform an additional elution to increase yield by up to 10%.
• If there is some insoluble material in the eluted DNA, it could be resin particles (resin
fines). These are inert and can be removed by a centrifugation at 12,000 x g for
FAQs
1 minute at RT.
36
Ordering information
Quantity Cat. No. Quantity Cat. No.
Nucleic acid isolation RNaseOUT Recombinant Ribonuclease Inhibitor 5,000 units 10777-019
PureLink Quick Plasmid Miniprep Kit 50 preps K2100-10 Ribonuclease H 30 units 18021-014
PureLink HiPure Plasmid Filter Midiprep Kit 25 preps K2100-14 Random Hexamers (50 µM) 5 nmol N8080127
PureLink HiPure Plasmid Maxiprep Kit 10 preps K2100-06 Random Primers 9 A260 units 48190 011
PureLink Pro Quick96 Plasmid Purification Kit 4 x 96 preps K211004A Oligo(dT)12–18 Primer 25 µg 18418012
PureLink Quick Gel Extraction Kit 50 preps K2100-12 Oligo(dT)20 Primer 15 µg 18418020
TRIzol Plus RNA Purification Kit 50 preps 12183-555 DNase I, Amplification Grade 100 units 18068015
PureLink Genomic DNA Mini Kit 10 preps K1820-00 DNA Oligo, Desalted, Dry 25 nmol A15612
PureLink Pro 96 Genomic DNA Mini Kit 4 x 96 preps K182104A DNA Oligo, Desalted, Dry, next-day
25 nmol A15613
(ordered before 1 PM Eastern Time)
PureLink Pro 96 Viral RNA/DNA Purification Kit 4 plates 122800-96A
DNA Oligo, Desalted, Liquid 25 nmol A15611
PureLink Viral RNA/DNA Mini Kit 50 preps 12280-050
DNA Oligo, Desalted, Dry 50 nmol A15610
PureLink Genomic Plant DNA Purification Kit 50 preps K1830-01
DNA Oligo, Desalted, Liquid 50 nmol A15609
MagMAX DNA Multi-Sample Ultra Kit 500 preps A25597
DNA Oligo, Cartridge, Dry 50 nmol A15614
Qubit 3.0 Fluorometer 1 unit Q33216
DNA Oligo, Cartridge, Liquid 50 nmol A15608
Qubit 3.0 Quantitation Starter Kit 1 kit Q33217
DNA Oligo, HPLC, Dry 50 nmol A15607
Qubit 3.0 NGS Starter Kit 1 kit Q33218
DNA Oligo, HPLC, Liquid 50 nmol A15606
Reverse transcription
DNA Oligo, PAGE, Dry 50 nmol A15605
2,000 units 18090010
SuperScript IV Reverse Transcriptase DNA Oligo, PAGE, Liquid 50 nmol A15604
10,000 units 18090050
PureLink PCR Purification Kit 50 preps K3100-01
50 reactions 18091050
SuperScript IV First-Strand Synthesis System PureLink Quick Gel Extraction and PCR Purification Kit 50 preps K2200-01
200 reactions 18091200
500 units 10342-020
50 reactions 11756050 Taq DNA Polymerase, recombinant
SuperScript IV VILO Master Mix 3 x 500 units 10342-046
500 reactions 11756500
120 reactions 10966-018
50 reactions 11766050 Platinum Taq DNA Polymerase
SuperScript IV VILO Master Mix with ezDNase Enzyme 600 reactions 10966-034
500 reactions 11766500
Ordering
37
Ordering information (continued)
Quantity Cat. No. Quantity Cat. No.
PCR (continued) 2720 Thermal Cycler 1 instrument 4359659
38
Quantity Cat. No. Quantity Cat. No.
E-Gel 96 Agarose Gels, 2% 8 gels G7008-02 GeneArt Seamless Cloning and Assembly Kit A13288
Safe Imager 2.0 Blue-Light Transilluminator 1 each G6600 GeneArt Seamless PLUS Cloning and Assembly Kit A14603
Cloning and gene synthesis GeneArt Type IIs Assembly Kit, AarI A15916
Anza 10-Pack Starter Kit 1 kit IVGN300-6 GeneArt Type IIs Assembly Kit, BsaI A15917
Anza 5-Pack Starter Kit 1 kit IVGN300-4 GeneArt Type IIs Assembly Kit, BbsI A15918
Anza 10X Buffer Set 2,000 reactions IVGN200-8 Gateway BP Clonase II Enzyme Mix 11789-020
Ordering
39
Find out more at thermofisher.com/everystepcounts
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. © 2016 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks
are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. Ensembl is a trademark of Genome Research
Limited. GenBank is a trademark of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Swiss-Prot is a trademark of SIB Institut
Suisse de Bioinformatique Foundation. TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., used under permission and
license. TRIzol and DNAzol are trademarks of Molecular Research Center, Inc. COL31349 1216