293FT Cell Line - FAQs

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31 product FAQs found

在慢病毒的形成过程中,293FT细胞会从平板上脱离吗?

如果转染后不久(4小时至过夜)293FT细胞就从平板上脱离下来:
•这可能是Lipofectamine 2000的毒性所致。可能在转染前细胞种植密度过低。
•用户对这些细胞的操作可能不够轻柔(这些细胞有易于漂浮的倾向)。
•这些细胞可能在室温条件下放置时间过长。

如果在转染48-72小时的时间段内细胞脱离:
•如果细胞大片脱离,这可能是慢病毒产生的一个标志。

合胞体是什么?

合胞体是由相邻的293FT细胞通过VSV-G诱导的融合效应所形成的大型多核细胞。合胞体的产生是获得高转染效率和慢病毒生成效果的一个表征。不过请记得,未产生合胞体并不意味着病毒没有生成。

为何我必须使用Geneticin抗生素来培养293FT细胞?

293FT细胞系稳定表达源自pCMVSPORT6Tag.neo质粒的SV40大T抗原,该载体中同时也包含了新霉素抗性标志物。为了保持质粒的存在和表型的正常,细胞需要常规培养于含有500 μg/mL浓度Geneticin(G418)抗性的培养基中。

你们是否为培养293FT细胞的应用推荐一款特定的FBS?你们推荐使用何种塑料平板来培养这些细胞?

我们使用经测试不含支原体的Gibco FBS(货号 16000-044)。我们发现,如果按照产品手册中的说明以这款FBS培养293FT细胞时,病毒生成效率要比使用其他来源的血清更高。我们使用以下塑料器皿来培养293FT细胞:

T175—Fisher 货号 10-126-13;这是一款Falcon培养瓶,带有0.2 μm透气塞的密封盖。
T75—Fisher 货号 07-200-68;这是一款Costar培养瓶,带有0.2 μm透气塞的密封盖。
100 mm 平板—Fisher 货号 08-772E;这是一款针对组织培养应用进行预先处理的的Falcon聚苯乙烯平板。

在常规细胞培育条件下,我们应用这些平板获得了绝佳的细胞粘附效果。

Do 293FT cells lift off the plate during lentivirus production?

If 293FT cells detach shortly after transfection (4 hours to overnight):

- This may be a sign of Lipofectamine 2000 toxicity. Cells may have been plated too sparsely prior to transfection.
- The cells may not have been handled gently enough (these cells have a tendency to lift off easily).
- The cells may have been kept at room temperature for too long.

If cells detach 48 to 72 hours post-transfection:
- If the cells lift off in large sheets, this may be a sign of lentivirus production.

What are syncytia?

Syncytia are large multi-nucleated cells that result from VSV-G-induced fusion with neighboring 293FT producer cells. Syncytia production is indicative of high transfection efficiency and lentivirus production. Keep in mind, though, that the absence of syncytia does not mean that virus will not be produced.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

Why do I have to culture 293FT cells under Geneticin antibiotic selection?

The 293FT cell line stably expresses the SV40 large T antigen from the pCMVSPORT6Tag.neo plasmid that contains the neomycin resistance marker. In order to maintain the plasmid/phenotype, the cells have to be routinely cultured in medium containing Geneticin (G418) antibiotic at a concentration of 500 µg/mL.

Do you recommend a specific FBS for culturing 293FT cells? Which plastic plates do you recommend?

We use Mycoplasma-tested Gibco FBS (Cat. No. 16000-044). We have observed that when 293FT cells are cultured in the presence of this FBS following the instructions in the manual, virus production is better than that obtained with many other serum sources. We use the following plasticware for 293FT cells:

T175-Fisher Cat. No. 10-126-13; this is a Falcon flask with 0.2 µm vented plug seal cap.
T75-Fisher Cat. No. 07-200-68; this is a Costar flask with 0.2 µm vented seal cap.
100 mm plate-Fisher Cat. No. 08-772E; this is a Falcon tissue culture-treated polystyrene plate.
We get excellent adherence on these plates under routine cell culture/maintenance conditions.

What are the morphological changes that I should be looking for in my 293FT cells as signs of lentivirus production?

During lentivirus production, 293FT cells undergo the following morphological changes:
- They become multi-nucleated (syncytia development)
- They start to look like balloons or as if they are about to explode
- They often, but not always, lift off from the surface
- Untransfected 293FT cells leave empty spaces and “pile” up at other spots in the flask

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

What precautions should I take with my 293FT cells to ensure high quality lentivirus production?

• Use low passage 293FT cells. Do not use 293FT cells beyond passage 20. Freeze down many aliquots and grow for 2–4 passages prior to transfection.
• Passage cells in complete D-MEM containing G418 (500 µg/mL). Supplement the media with "non-essential" amino acids and sodium pyruvate (0.1 mM MEM Non-Essential amino acids and 1 mM MEM Sodium Pyruvate). Use Gibco FBS (Cat. No. 16000-044).
• Plate cells at a density of 5 x 10e6 per 100 mm dish. Cell density is very important. Make sure that the cells are growing well before re-plating prior to the day of transfection. Avoid overgrowth of 293FT cells when passaging.
• When plating for transfection the next day, do not add G418 to the media.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

Why are lentiviruses able to transduce non-dividing cells when other viruses cannot?

Lentiviruses gain entry into the host cell nucleus by means of an active import mechanism, using the host cell machinery. They enter the host cell nucleus and immediately integrate into the host cell genome. Hence, they are able to transduce both dividing and non-dividing cells. Retroviruses, on the other hand, use a passive entry mechanism and require a round of cell division before the virus can enter the host cell nucleus.

Can I use HEK293 cells instead of 293FT cells for lentivirus production?

Yes. You can use HEK293 cells for lentivirus production, but keep in mind that the titers will be lower. 293T cells and 293FT cells grow faster and are easier to transfect than HEK293 cells and result in higher titers of lentivirus. So most lentiviral protocols use 293FT cells to produce lentivirus. (It's not clear why the “large T” antigen is important for lentivirus production.)

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

What is the difference between 293, 293H, 293F, and 293FT cells?

The 293 cell line is a permanent line established from primary embryonal human kidney transformed with sheared human adenovirus type 5 DNA (Graham et al., 1977; Harrison et al., 1977). The E1A adenovirus gene is expressed in these cells and participates in transactivation of some viral promoters, allowing these cells to produce very high levels of protein.

The FreeStyle 293-F cell line is a clone of the 293 cell line and is intended for use with the FreeStyle 293 Expression System. These cells are adapted to suspension culture in FreeStyle 293 Expression Medium.

The 293H cell line was also cloned from 293 cells, and like 293F cells can be grown as either suspension or adherent cultures. Neither 293F or 293H attach very well in SFM. In serum-supplemented medium, both attach better, but 293H attaches better than 293F. 293H is also better for transient transfection. 293F cells have a faster doubling time than 293H, and are better suited for selection of stables and large scale cultures.

The 293FT Cell Line is derived from the 293F Cell Line and stably expresses the SV40 large T antigen from the pCMVSPORT6TAg.neo plasmid. Expression of the SV40 large T antigen is controlled by the human cytomegalo-virus (CMV) promoter and is high-level and constitutive.

Once I make lentivirus, can I amplify the virus or do I need to do another transfection?

The lentiviruses produced in this system will not replicate under any conditions. You must perform a fresh transfection each time you need more virus.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

Can the pLenti6/D-TOPO vector be used by itself as an expression vector (without packaging mix)?

Yes, it will work as an expression vector by itself and can be stably selected with blasticidin. Please note that the vector will be about twice the size of most regular vectors. Therefore you may need to increase the amount of transfected vector to approximate molar equivalents.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

Does the lentivirus produce any toxic viral genes?

Lentiviruses produced with this system do not carry or express ANY viral genes and therefore have no associated toxicity issues. Only the protein expressed from the coding region between the LTR sites is incorporated into the mammalian cell chromosome and expressed. The lentivirus itself cannot replicate because of the built-in safety features.

Why are 293FT cells cultured under Geneticin selection before transfection?

For routine maintenance of 293FT cells, you need to add Geneticin (G418) antibiotic at a concentration of 500 µg/mL to maintain the Large T antigen plasmid/phenotype.

What does the FT stand for in 293FT and why is this the most recommended producer cell line?

The F stands for the high transfection efficiency of this particular 293 cell clone (called 293F) and the T stands for the SV40 large T antigen. If you want to use regular 293 cells or another 293T cell line, you will be able to produce virus, but the titers will be lower. The large T antigen expression plasmid is stably integrated in the 293FT cell and confers resistance to Geneticin antibiotic in these cells.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

How much blasticidin do you usually put into culture medium to select for blasticidin-resistant clones for virus titration (HT1080 cells)?

For HT1080 cells we typically use 10 µg/mL, but we strongly recommend that you generate a kill-curve for each antibiotic and cell line before proceeding. Most cell types respond to between 1 µg/mL and 10 µg/mL of blasticidin. For HT1080 cells, we typically use 100 µg/mL of Zeocin for Zeocin-containing lentiviral vectors. But again, generation of a kill-curve is strongly suggested.

We strongly recommend titering on HT1080 cells to determine the absolute titer of infectious virus in your supernatant. The primary reason is that it's a way to standardize titers obtained in different labs. Transduction efficiency is high in these cells, and titering results are very accurate and reproducible, making HT1080 cells the gold standard for titering. You can then try different MOIs in other cell types based on HT1080 titers. For instance, you may require an MOI of 50 in one cell type or MOI of 10 in another cell type based on titers obtained in HT1080.Accurate titer, however, can be obtained in essentially any mammalian cell line, but 3T3 and HeLa cells have a lower transduction efficiency than HT1080 cells (for reasons unknown). Do not use 293FT cells for titering.

Can I remove the CMV promoter from the pLenti6/V5-D-TOPO or pLenti6/V5-DEST vectors?

Yes, you can use restriction enzymes Cla I (cutting at 1796) and BamH I (cutting at 2401) to remove the CMV promoter from the pLent6/V5-D-TOPO vector. Use Cla I and Spe I for the pLenti6/V5-DEST vector. Alternatively, we offer promoter-less lentiviral vector, pLenti6.4/R4R2/V5-DEST (Cat. No. A11145).

How do I concentrate the lentiviral stock?

Ultracentrifugation is the most commonly used approach and is typically very successful (see Burns et al. (1993) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:8033-8037; Reiser (2000) Gene Ther 7:910-913). Others have used PEG precipitation. Some purification methods are covered by patents issued to the University of California and Chiron.

Adenovirus is concentrated using CsCl density gradient centrifugation (there is a reference for this procedure in our adenovirus manual) or commercially available columns.

What titers are typical with lentivirus?

Titers between 1 x 10e5 and 3 x 10e5 cfu/mL (unconcentrated) are typical. If the titer is lower than 1x 10e5 cfu/mL, virus production was not optimal (arising for various reasons). Titers for the LacZ virus are typically in this low to mid 10e5 range. The sample lentiviral titer experiment shown in the ViraPower instruction manual shows lacZ lentivirus with a titer of 4.8 x 10e6 cfu/mL.

We strongly suggest that you titer your lentivirus on HT1080 cells, which allows you to compare titers from day-to-day within your lab and also with external labs. Transduction efficiency is high in these cells, and titering results are very accurate and reproducible--making HT1080 cells the gold standard for titering. You can then try different MOIs in other cell types based on HT1080 titers. For instance, you may require an MOI of 50 in one cell type or MOI of 10 in another cell type based on titers obtained in HT1080.

What are the advantages of the lentiviral system?

The ViraPower Lentiviral System:
(1) effectively transduces both dividing and non-dividing cells
(2) efficiently delivers the gene of interest to mammalian cells in culture or in vivo
(3) produces a pseudotyped virus with a broadened host range
(4) includes multiple features designed to enhance the biosafety of the system

How does the lentiviral system work? How do I make the lentivirus?

Clone your gene of interest into one of our lentiviral expression vectors. We have a Directional TOPO version (pLenti6/V5/D-TOPO) and a Gateway version (pLenti6/V5-DEST vector). Co-transfect your recombinant vector along with the optimized ViraPower packaging mix into the 293FT producer cell line using Lipofectamine 2000 reagent (if using a different transfection reagent, follow the manufacturer's recommendations). Harvest the viral supernatant and determine the titer of the virus. Add the viral supernatant to your mammalian cell line of interest at the appropriate MOI. Assay for "transient" expression of your recombinant protein or select for stably transduced cells using the appropriate selection antibiotic, if desired, then examine expression of your protein of interest.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

Will I get the same transduction efficiency with both lentivirus and adenovirus in the same cell line?

This depends entirely on the target cell. Adenovirus requires the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR) and an integrin for efficient transduction. Lentivirus (with VSV-G) binds to a lipid in the plasma membrane (present on all cell types). With two totally different mechanisms of entry into the cell, there will always be differences in transduction efficiencies. However, the efficiency of transduction for both viral systems is easily modulated by the multiplicity of infection (MOI) used.

Do you recommend a specific FBS for culture of the 293FT or 293A cells used in the ViraPower kits? What plastic plates do you recommend?

We use mycoplasma-tested Gibco FBS (Cat. No. 16000-044) without any modifications. We have observed that when 293FT cells are cultured in the presence of this FBS following the instructions in the manual, virus production is better than that obtained with many other serum sources.

We use the following plasticware for 293A and 293FT cells:

T175--Fisher Cat. No. 10-126-13; this is a Falcon flask with 0.2 µm vented plug seal cap.

T75--Fisher Cat. No. 07-200-68; this is a Costar flask with 0.2 µm vented seal cap.

100 mm plate--Fisher Cat. No. 08-772E; this is a Falcon tissue culture-treated polystyrene plate

We get excellent adherence on these plates under routine cell culture/maintenance conditions (expect cell lysis in 293A cells when making adenovirus).

How should I store lentivirus, adenovirus and viral vectors?

Viral vectors:
Store lentiviral and adenoviral expression vectors (plasmid DNA) at -20 degrees C. Due to their relatively large sizes, we do not recommend storing these vectors at -80 degrees C, as the vector solutions will completely freeze and too many freeze thaws from -80 degrees C will affect the cloning efficiency. At -20 degrees C, the vectors will be stable but will not freeze completely. Glycerol stocks of vectors transformed into bacteria should always be stored at -80 degrees C.

Virus:
Both adenovirus and lentivirus particles should be aliquoted immediately after production and stored at -80 degrees C.

Lentivirus is more sensitive to storage temperature and to freeze/thaw than adenovirus and should be handled with care. Adenovirus can typically be frozen/thawed up to 3 times without loss of titer, while lentivirus can lose up to 5% or more activity with each freeze/thaw. It is recommended to aliquot your virus into small working volumes immediately after production, freeze at -80 degrees C, and then thaw just one aliquot for titering. This way, every time you thaw a new aliquot it should be the same titer as your first tube.

Adenovirus particles can be kept overnight at 4 degrees C if necessary, but it is best to avoid this. Viruses will be most stable at -80 degrees C.

When stored properly, viral stocks should maintain consistent titer and be suitable for use for up to one year. After long-term storage, we recommend re-titering your viral stocks before use.

What are the safety issues associated with the use of your viral systems?

Both the lentiviral and adenoviral systems should be used following Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2). We recommend strict adherence to all CDC guidelines for BSL-2 (as well as institutional guidelines). Thermo Fisher Scientific has also engineered specific safety features into the lentiviral system.

Consult the "Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories" publication (www.cdc.gov, published by the CDC in the USA, describes BSL-2 handling) and the "Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines" publication (www.phac-aspc.gc.ca, published by the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Canada) for more information on safe handling of various organisms and the physical requirements for facilities that work with them.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

How do I know whether to choose lentivirus or adenovirus for viral expression?

If you're interested in stable integration and selection, choose the lentiviral system. We offer both a Directional TOPO (D-TOPO) and Gateway version of the kit to provide flexibility in the cloning of the gene of interest.

If you're looking for transient gene expression, choose the adenoviral system. We offer the Gateway cloning method for this product. It should be noted, however, that gene expression from both systems is typically detected within 24-48 hours of transduction, so both systems can be used for experiments of a transient nature. The main difference is that lentivirus integrates into the host genome and adenovirus does not. Higher viral titers are achieved with the adenovirus.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Protein Expression Support Center.

What are the packaging limits for lentivirus and adenovirus? Can a 9 kb fragment be packaged into either?

No, neither lentivirus nor adenovirus can take an insert as large as 9 Kb. Lentiviral packaging limits are around 6 kb and adenoviral packaging limits are around 7-7.5 kb. Above that, no virus is made.

For lentivirus, titers will generally decrease as the size of the insert increases. We have effectively packaged inserts of 5.2 kb with good titer (approx. 0.5 x 10^5 cfu/mL). The size of the wild-type HIV-1 genome is approximately 10 kb. Since the size of the elements required for expression from pLenti vectors add up to approximately 4-4.4 kb, the size of your gene of interest should theoretically not exceed 5.6-6 kb for efficient packaging (see below for packaging limits for individual vectors).
pLenti4/V5-DEST vector: 6 kb
pLenti6/V5-DEST vector: 6 kb
pLenti6/V5/D-TOPO vector: 6 kb
pLenti6/UbC/V5-DEST vector: 5.6 kb

For adenovirus, the maximum packagable size is approximately 7-7.5 Kb (see below for packaging limits for individual vectors).
pAd/CMV/V5-DEST vector: 6 kb
pAd/PL-DEST vector: 7.5 kb

Are the cells from 293FT Cell Line (Cat. No. R70007) adherent?

Unfortunately, these cells were developed for suspension cultures and would not do well cultured in adherent conditions. 293 cells, in general, do not attach to substrates well, especially in serum-free media. Additionally, if the cells are cultured in FreeStyle 293 SFM and put into a petri dish or plate, the cells will clump. Initially, the clump may not be large, but it will increase in size. Cell growth will decrease and you will also experience cell viability issues with larger size clusters of cells.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.