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 |
Competent cells: Featured products
In addition to competent cells, we offer a broad suite of products for the cloning workflow.
Microbial
media
Explore types of bacterial growth media to use for cloning, plasmid DNA preparation, and protein expression.
Electroporation
cuvettes
Learn more about universal-fit electroporation cuvettes for use with competent cells.
TOPO PCR
cloning kits
Learn more about one-step PCR cloning that combines traditional restriction and ligation cloning.
Gibson Assembly
cloning kits
Gibson Assembly cloning kits provide highly efficient, seamless cloning, enabling the assembly of multiple DNA fragments of varying lengths into any vector.
Resources
Have any questions on competent cells or transformation? Click on the resources listed below to access overviews, videos, genotype guides, and educational resources.
Review rich educational content on transformation workflow, troubleshooting, strategies, and selection guides.
Stay up-to-date on industry trends in molecular cloning with on-demand webinars.
Short articles and digital handbook for cloning applications
Access white papers and technical and application notes on molecular cloning.
Watch instructional videos on troubleshooting tips, how-to videos, and explainers related to molecular cloning.
Get support for your cloning experiments
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
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