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Can we transfer settings between square and exponential decay waveforms?
Certainly. Contact BTX Technical Service for a conversion chart that will guide you through the process.
Can I use other "brand" cuvettes with my BTX electroporator?
Yes, any BTX instrument will accommodate most cuvettes on the market with the exception of Life Technology/BRL cuvettes.
My electroporator just arced. Isn't this dangerous?
Arcing is actually a statistical occurrence and poses no danger to the user. The 630B safety stand will contain the arc in a closed environment. And all BTX generators are "arc-proof" (short-circuit proof in the event of an arc).
Can I use the Enhancer 400 with any BTX electroporator?
Yes! You can use it to monitor all electroporators on the market!
Do you offer academic (or institutional) discounts?
Since our researchers work primarily in universities, we have kept our prices as low as possible. Rather than inflate the price in order to discount to all, we have found that researchers would rather have prices based on value. So, in effect, the discount is built into the price.
Look for seasonal promotions or bulk discount offers throughout the year! from our distributors.
How do you orient the cuvettes in the safety stand?
Each cuvette has a pair of aluminum electrodes, the metallic sides. These sides should face the metal contacts of the safety stand.
How do you prepare electrocompetent E coli?
Inoculate 1L of rich broth appropriate for rapid cell growth with 1/10 to 1/100 volume of fresh overnight culture. Grow cells at the growth temperature and conditions optimal for the strain. Harvest when cells reach early to mid log phase growth (usually around OD600nm of ~0.5). To harvest, chill the growth flask on ice for 15-30 minutes, and centrifuge in a cold rotor at 4,000 x g for 15 minutes. Resuspend the pellets in a total of 1l of cold water. Centrifuge as above. Resuspend in 0.5l of cold water. Again centrifuge. If cells are to be stored frozen, resuspend in ~20ml of cryoprotectant (usually 10% glycerol). Cells to be used fresh may be resuspended in water at this point. Centrifuge as above. Resuspend to a final volume of 2-3 ml in cryoprotectant or water. The cell concentration should be high. With some species a concentration of up to 5 x 1010 cells/ml is desirable. At this point, many species may be frozen in 10% glycerol and stored at —70° C for up to a year with little loss of electrocompetence.
- Guide to Electroporation and Electrofusion, Chang, Chassy, Saunders, and Sowers, pg. 487, Academic Press, copyright 1992.
What does ECM stand for?
ECM stands for Electro Cell Manipulation. This is the process of manipulating cells using electrical methods.
For more definitions related to electroporation, please click here, electroporation and electrofusion terms.
What does BTX stand for?
BTX stands for BioTechnology eXperimental Research.
Can square waves be used with bacteria?
Yes. Although the exponential decay wave form is usually used to transform bacteria, there are some protocols published using the square wave for this application. Please check in our the Protocols section of our website.
How do you optimize?
Optimization consists of modifying one electroporation variable at a time to reach an optimal compromise by way of transfection efficiency and viability percentage. The parameters to vary are field strength kV/cm, pulse length (msec or sec, dictated by the RC value in exponential decay wave generators), pulse number, and pulse interval. Generally, the field strength is the first variable to vary when optimizing. Please contact BTX technical service if you require more assistance in this area.
My electroporator just arced. Isn't this dangerous?
Arcing is actually a statistical occurrence and poses no danger to the user. The 630B safety stand will contain the arc in a closed environment. And all BTX generators are "arc-proof" (short-circuit proof in the event of an arc).
Can I use the Enhancer 400 with any BTX electroporator?
Yes! You can use it to monitor all electroporators on the market!
How do I prevent arcing?
You cannot "prevent" arcing from happening, but you can minimize the probability of the occurrence by lowering the voltage or switching to a lower conductivity electroporation media. For bacterial electro-transformation, be sure to carefully follow washing procedures to remove salts. For ligation reactions dilute at least 1:5 with water or TE, or use a proven method for desalting before electroporation. Using only high-quality cuvettes can also reduce the chances of arcing.
The results we get in our lab are not as good as they used to be. Could it be the electroporation equipment?
Possibly. Our technical group can fax to you the appropriate tests to evaluate the electroporation generator you are using. If the instrument is not used for long periods of time, the capacitors in electroporation generators age and may not have the same output. In these situations, re-optimization is suggested and can usually be accomplished by varying the voltage slightly. Most reports of an efficiency decrease may be traced to changing biological parameters or technique. Electroporation is sometimes dependent on temperature, volume, buffer compositions, etc. Thus, it is wise to take a good look at these factors before exploring equipment failures.
What is the best electroporation system to use for bacterial electroporation?
We have a variety of electroporation systems, all of which are used for some bacterial work. In general, we recommend exponential decay for bacteria; however, square wave is used as well. If the application is simple (transformation with a plasmid under 20 Kb) and the bacteria is E. coli, then the ECM 399 may be used. You also have the option of electroporating a few mammalian cell lines with this unit. If more complex bacterial applications are needed, more mammalian cell lines are demanded, or specialty electrodes are to be used, the ECM 630 is the unit of choice to increase flexibility for all applications.
Do you have a representative in our area to set up a demonstration or install our new equipment?
We have dedicated distributors who can help you with demonstrations or system trials. Please refer to our Distributor Section for more information.
Our "in house" Technical Services Representatives can otherwise help you set up your system or optimization via phone, fax, and email.
I need an electrode that you do not have in your catalog. Do you do custom product engineering?
As the Electroporation Experts, BTX strives to offer researchers the choice of how to deliver pulses to cells. Thus we have the most extensive electrode and chamber line in the market. If you have an idea for an alternative electrode, our Product Development Group will work closely with you to help you develop your application and/or create the electrode you need.
What is BTX doing to be the "Electroporation Experts"?
We continue to develop new applications in our laboratories and work closely with researchers in the field to develop their applications.
If you have any questions, please E-mail BTX Technical Support at tech@genetronics.com.
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