Competent cells for everyday bacterial transformation have broad utility for propagating vectors, subcloning DNA fragments, and other routine molecular biology procedures. To accommodate various workflows, the most popular competent cells for subcloning come in several formats including standard, One Shot, and MultiShot packaging.
Selection guide: E. coli strains for cloning and subcloning
These Invitrogen chemically competent cells:
- Allow blue/white screening
- Are available in multiple volumes/formats to suit your workflow and budget
| Product |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subcloning Efficiency DH5α Chemically Competent Cells | MAX Efficiency DH5α T1R Competent Cells | TOP10 Chemically Competent Cells | OmniMAX T1R Chemically Competent Cells | Mach1 T1R Chemically Competent Cells | |
| Transformation efficiency | >1 x 106 cfu/µg | >1 x 109 cfu/µg | >1 x 109 cfu/µg | >5 x 109 cfu/µg (highest) | >1 x 109 cfu/µg |
| Recommended for | Routine subcloning (economical choice) | High efficiency cloning, library preparation | High efficiency cloning, for high copy number plasmids | Low starting DNA (highest efficiency for chemical transformation) | Rapid growth and fast turnaround time |
| T1, T5, and φ80 phage resistance (tonA (fhuA)) | – | – | |||
| Transform PCR products, unmethylated DNA (hsdR) | |||||
| Transform methylated DNA (mcrA) | – | – | – | ||
| Generate ssDNA (Contains F´ episome) | – | – | – | – | |
| Available format(s) | See all Invitrogen DH5α cells | See all Invitrogen DH5α T1R cells | See all One Shot TOP10 kits See all Invitrogen TOP10 cells | See all Invitrogen Mach1 cells |