Competent Cells for High Throughput Cloning

A 12-channel pipet dispensing red liquid into a 96-well PCR plate

When performing high-throughput cloning, having the right competent cells in the right format helps optimize your workflow. Invitrogen MultiShot formats of chemically competent cells are designed for compatibility with multichannel pipettes and automated liquid handling robots to streamline the bacterial transformation process.

MultiShot chemically competent cells are available in three packaging formats: StripWell, FlexPlate, and standard 96-well PCR plates. These formats offer flexibility in the number of transformations that can be performed at once while maintaining the same cloning workflow.

Invitrogen MultiShot high-throughput chemically competent E. coli

Watch the video to see how the StripWell and FlexPlate formats are used in the lab for different workflows.

Compare competent cell formats for high-throughput cloning

Choose a format based on your need for flexibility and throughput.

	StripWell format	FlexPlate format	96-well plates
Format description	12 capped 8-tube strips in lidded storage rack	Foil-sealed 96-well break-away PCR plate that can be separated into 12 8-well segments	5 foil-sealed 96-well plates
Best for	Flexible number of transformation reactions from 1 to 96	High throughput cloning with ability to use part of the plate (multiples of 8) in a PCR plate format	Full-plate high throughput and automated cloning workflows
Volume of competent cells per tube/well	50 μL/tube	20 μL/well	15 μL/well

See DH5α transformation efficiency data across Invitrogen MultiShot competent cell formats

Heat-sealed plates for competent cell storage

Be confident in your competent cell supply. FlexPlate-formatted competent cells are heat-sealed using a foil seal that does not delaminate even at very low temperatures and is easy to remove. Competent cells can also be accessed by piercing the foil using a needle or pipette tip.

E. coli strains available as MultiShot competent cells

All Invitrogen MultiShot competent cells are conveniently supplied as a kit including SOC medium and control plasmid.

E. coli strain	StripWell format	FlexPlate format	96-well plate format
TOP10	C409601	C4081201	C40005
DH5α T1R	C449601	C4481201	–
DH10B T1R	–	C6481201	–
Mach1 T1R	C869601	C8681201	–
OmniMAX 2 T1R	–	C8581201	–
Stbl3	C739601	C7381201	–
BL21 Star (DE3)	C609601	–	–
See all products in this format	StripWell competent cells	FlexPlate competent cells	–

Competent cells: Featured products

In addition to competent cells, we offer a broad suite of products for the cloning workflow.

Magnified image of purple, rod-shaped bacteria

Microbial
media

Explore types of bacterial growth media to use for cloning, plasmid DNA preparation, and protein expression.

Browse media

Electroporation
cuvettes

Learn more about universal-fit electroporation cuvettes for use with competent cells.

View electroporation cuvettes

Photo of TOPO PCR cloning kit product box and content

TOPO PCR
cloning kits

Learn more about one-step PCR cloning that combines traditional restriction and ligation cloning.

View TOPO kits

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.

Explore Gibson Assembly cloning

Resources

Have any questions on competent cells or transformation? Click on the resources listed below to access overviews, videos, genotype guides, and educational resources.