Cloning Competent Cell Strains
Ensure successful transformations with NEB competent E. coli for cloning. Choose from several high efficiency competent cell strains in a variety of formats that deliver performance, convenience and value.
Advantages:
Advantages:
- High transformation efficiencies
- Compatible with NEBuilder® HiFi DNA Assembly and Gibson Assembly® reactions, as well as ligation reactions. No dilution required!
- Strains also available for cloning of toxic genes
- All strains are free of animal products and are T1 phage resistant
- Outgrowth medium and control plasmid are included
- Choose from a variety of convenient formats, including single use tubes
- Bulk formats and custom packaging are available
- Take advantage of value pricing and no dry ice charges
Competent Cell Selection Guide
| Product | NEB # | Characteristics | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEB® 5-alpha Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C2987U C2987R C2987P C2987I C2987H |
|
1 - 3 x 109 cfu/μg, For C2987R: 1 - 5 x 108 cfu/μg |
| NEB® 10-beta Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C3019I C3019H C3019P C3020K |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg For C3019P: 1 - 3 x 108 cfu/µg For C3020K: > 2 x 1010 cfu/μg pUC19 |
| NEB® Stable Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C3040I C3040H C3040P |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg For C3040P: 1 - 3 x 108 cfu/µg |
| NEB® Turbo Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C2984I C2984H |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg |
| dam-/dcm- Competent E. coli | C2925I C2925H |
|
1-3 x 106 cfu/µg |
| NEB® 5-alpha F'Iq Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) | C2992I C2992H |
|
1-3 x 109 cfu/µg |
NEB Competent E. coli Sampler
Try all four cloning strains in our NEB Competent E. coli Sampler
To help select the best strain for your experiment, please use NEBcloner®, our Cloning Competent Cell Selection Chart.
Competent Cell Formats
| Formats | NEB # | Single-use | 200 µl tubes | 96-well plate | Electrocompetent | Subcloning | Outgrowth Medium & Control Plasmid Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEB 5-alpha | C2987 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NEB 10-beta | C3019 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NEB Stable | C3040 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| NEB Turbo | C2984 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| dam-/dcm- | C2925 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| NEB 5-alpha F'Iq | C2992 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Ensure successful transformations with NEB competent E. coli for cloning. Choose from several high efficiency competent cell strains in a variety of formats that deliver performance, convenience and value.
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Cloning Competent Cell Strains
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FAQs for Cloning Competent Cell Strains
- Can I store competent cells at -20°C instead of -80°C?
- Does New England Biolabs offer a methyltransferase free strain of Competent E.coli?
- Does New England Biolabs offer strains of Competent E.coli suited for protein expression?
- What are the advantages of New England Biolabs' competent cells?
- What does the growth curve of NEB Turbo cells look like compared to DH5α?
- What volume of DNA can be added into competent cells?
- Which kind of transformation tubes should be used?
- Why did Synthetic Biologist Chris Voigt of MIT choose NEB 10-beta for DNA assembly and cloning?
- Which strain of Competent E.coli should I use for general cloning?
Protocols for Cloning Competent Cell Strains
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2984)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (NEB #C2987H / #C2987I)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2988)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol (C2992)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol using NEB 10-beta Competent E. coli (C3019H/C3019I)
- Electroporation Protocol (C2986)
- Electroporation Protocol (C2989)
- Electroporation Protocol (C3020)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C2984)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (NEB #C2987H/#C2987I)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (C2992)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol using NEB 10-beta Competent E. coli (High Efficiency) (C3019H/C3019I)
- Subcloning Competent E.coli Transformation Protocol (C2988)
- Transformation Protocol (C2925)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol for 96-well format (C2987P)
- 5 Minute Transformation Protocol for NEB® Stable Competent E. coli (C3040H/C3040I)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (NEB #C3040H)
- Protocol for Cloning Repeat Elements and Unstable DNA Inserts with NEBuilder® (NEB #C3040, #E5520, #E2621, #E2623)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol (NEB #C3040I)
- 14 Minute Transformation Protocol (NEB #C2987H/C2987I)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol for 384-well format (C2987R)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol for 96-tube format (C2987U)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol with NEB 10-beta in 96-well Plate Format (NEB# C3019P)
- High Efficiency Transformation Protocol with NEB® Stable in 96-well Plate Format (C3040P)
- Competent Cell Brochure
- Competent Cell Selection Guide
- Competent Cell Product Comparison
- Troubleshooting Transformation Reactions
- Restriction of Foreign DNA by E. coli K-12
- Additional E. coli Strain Genotypes
- McrA, McrBC and EcoKI Strain Phenotypes
- Competent E. coli Genome Sequences Tool
- Making Unmethylated (Dam- Dcm-) DNA
- Electroporation Tips
- Genetic Markers
Tools & Resources
Brochures
Selection Tools
Troubleshooting Guides
Usage Guidelines
Advantages of NEB Competent Cells
- Free of animal products
- T1 phage resistance (fhuA2)
- Media and control plasmid included with most strains
- A variety of convenient formats, including single use transformation tubes and, on request, 96 well plates
- Bulk sales capabilities with custom packaging
Advantages of NEB Cloning Strains
- High transformation efficiencies
- EndA deficient for high quality plasmid preparation
- T1 phage resistant
- RecA deficient for reduced recombination of cloned DNA
- Free of animal products
- Suitable for blue/white screening
- Available as single-use tubes or multiple use aliquots
- Outgrowth media and control plasmid included
- Bulk sales capabilities with custom packaging formats
High Transformation Efficiencies with NEB Competent E. coli
Transformation efficiencies were compared using manufacturers’ recommended protocols. Values shown are the average of triplicate experiments.
Legal Information
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This product is intended for research purposes only. This product is not intended to be used for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes in humans or animals.
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