ECOS™ competent cells are chemically competent cells prepared by a proprietary process. These cells can efficiently take up DNAs. The entire transformation process can be completed in just one minute with simplified steps. Compared to the traditional solutions that require a recovery step and take 1 to 2 hours to complete the entire process, ECOS™ solution takes shorter time and has a higher transformation efficiency.
There are 4 protocols developed for ECOS™ competent cells. These protocols are designed based on numerous experimental results involving different antibiotics, plasmid sizes, and various conditions. The non-heat shock protocol further simplifies the transformation process, and the 1- or 6-minute protocol significantly improves the transformation efficiency.
Amerigo Scientific offers ECOS™ competent cells enable users to complete the transformation process without SOC recovery step. We also provide a new type of ECOS™ competent cells, which have a transformation efficiency comparable to electroporation cells and are suitable for applications that require extremely high transformation efficiency, such as constructing genomic libraries.
ECOS™ Competent Cells
Each ECOS™ competent cell kit contains ECOS™ competent cells, pUC19 control plasmid (5μl, 10⁻⁴ µg/μl), and the One-minute/Six-minute Patented Protocol.
Product Features
- Simplified operation process, and no need for LB/SOC
- Rapid transformation in 1 minute or 6 minutes
- 4 protocols available for selection according to research needs, balancing efficiency and convenience
- Ideal for laboratory users to automate cloning research
- Strict quality control process, ensuring the efficiency of each batch
- Electronic-monitored transportation process to detect temperature in real time
Genotypes and Applications
| Type |
Genotype |
Application |
| ECOS™ 101 |
endA1 recA1 relA1 deoR gyrA96 nupG hsdR17(rk–, mk+) supE44 thi-1 Δ(lacZYA-argF)U169 Φ80 lacZΔM15 λ– F– |
Suitable for cloning with large plasmids and cDNA library construction, and allowing blue-white colony selection |
| ECOS™ 10B |
F–endA1 recA1 galE15 galK16 nupG rpsL ΔlacX74 Φ80lacZΔM15 araD139 Δ(ara,leu)7697 mcrA Δ(mrr-hsdRMS-mcrBC) λ– |
Suitable for the propagation of large DNA library clones, maintenance of large plasmids, cloning of methylated cytosine or adenine containing DNA, and for blue-white colony selection |
| ECOS™ 21 |
F– ompT gal dcm lon hsdSB(rB– mB–) λ(DE3 [lacI lacUV5-T7 gene 1 ind1 sam7 nin5]) |
Appropriate host for recombinant protein expression using T7-based expression vectors |
| ECOS™ 2163 |
F–ara–14 leuB6 fhuA31 lacY1 tsx78 glnV44 galK2 galT22 mcrA dcm–6 hisG4 rfbD1 rpsL136 dam13::Tn9 xylA5 mtl–1 thi-1 mcrB1 hsdR2 |
Suitable for the propagation of plasmid or cloned DNA to be cut with Dam- or Dcm- sensitive restriction enzymes |
| ECOS™ 9-5 |
e14–(McrA–) recA1 endA1 gyrA96 thi-1 hsdR17(rK– mK+) supE44 relA1 D(lac–proAB) [F' traD36 proAB lacIqZDM15] |
A fast-growing strain, forming visible colonies within 8~10 hour, which is suitable for blue-white colony screening with robotic colony picker |
| ECOS™ Blue |
recA1 endA1 gyrA96 thi-1 hsdR17 supE44 relA1 lac [F'proABlacIqZDM15 Tn10 (TetR)] |
Suitable for blue-white colony screening and routine cloning application |
| ECOS™ Sonic™ |
F– ompT hsdSB (rB– ,mB– ) ΔrecA ΔendA gal dcm (DE3) |
Suitable for fast protein screening and protein expression |
| ECOS™ St |
F– mcrB mrr hsdS20(rB– ,mB– ) recA13 supE44 ara-14 galK2 lacY1 proA2 rpsL20(StrR ) xyl-5 λ– leu mtl-1 |
Suitable for lentivirus and retrovirus cloning |
| ECOS™ X |
endA1 recA1 relA1 deoR gyrA96 nupG hsdR17(rk–, mk+) supE44 thi-1 Δ(lacZYA-argF)U169 Φ80 lacZΔM15 λ– F– |
Suitable for efficient transformation of products from routine TA cloning, transformation of minute amounts of PCR products, and construction of a gene library |
ECOS™ Protocols
Use circulating water bath or running flow of tap water to thaw approximately ½ competent cells. Then incubate the cells on ice for culturing and add the pre-chilled plasmids. Vortex for 1 second. After that, based on the research requirements, select one of the following 4 protocols to proceed with the operation.
Quality Control and Efficiency Guarantee
Each batch of ECOS™competent cells must pass three quality control tests before shipment:
- Efficiency Test: Each batch of ECOS™ cells should achieve the claimed transformation efficiency using Protocol 4 and supercoiled pUC19 DNA.
- Contamination Test: ECOS™ cells are directly inoculated onto ampicillin plates without conducting the transformation process. No colonies should appear after one night of cultivation.
- A-complementation Test: This test is applicable to all ECOS™ cells except ECOS™ 21 and ECOS™ 2163. The proportion of white colonies over the total colonies should be less than 3%.
ECOS™ competent cells should be stored at -70°C. Competent cells are very sensitive to freeze-thaw cycles and should be exposed to temperature changes as little as possible. Therefore, we provid electronic temperature monitors to record the temperature during transportation, ensuring the quality of the competent cells.
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