Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent is a proprietary, animal-origin free formulation for the transfection of DNA into eukaryotic cells with low cytotoxicity. This reference provides a recommended procedure to transfect plasmid DNA into SK-MEL-28, human malignant melanoma cells (ATCC No. HTB-72) using Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent.
Important Guidelines for Transfection
Follow these important guidelines when transfecting SK-MEL-28 cells using Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent:
- Maintain the same seeding conditions between experiments. Use low-passage cells; make sure cells are healthy and greater than 90% viable before transfection.
- Transfection can be performed both in the presence or absence of serum. Test serum-free media for compatibility with Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent.
- We recommend Opti-MEM® I Reduced Serum Medium (Cat. No. 31985-070) to dilute the DNA Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent before complexing.
- Using PLUS™ Reagent (Cat. No. 11514-015) enhances transfection performance in SK-MEL-28 Cells
- Visit www.lifetechnologies.com/genedelivery or contact Technical Services for other specialized transfection protocols.
- Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent performs well with vector-based RNAi experiments. For siRNA and Stealth RNAi transfections, we recommend Lipofectamine RNAiMAX. Go to www.lifetechnologies.com/RNAi or contact Technical Service for more information.
Materials Needed
Have the following reagents on hand before beginning:
- SK-MEL-28 cells maintained in Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) (Cat. No. 11090-081) supplemented with 4mM L-Glutamine (Cat. No 25030-081), 10% fetal bovine serum (Cat No. 16000-044). Grow cells at 37o C with 5% CO2.
- Plasmid DNA of interest.
- Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent
- Opti-MEM® I Reduced Serum Media
- Appropriate tissue culture plates and supplies
31985070,11514015,11090081,25030081,16000044
Use this procedure to transfect plasmid DNA into SK-MEL-28 cells in a 24-well format (for other formats, see Scaling Up or Down Transfections, below). All amounts and volumes are given on a per well basis.
- The day before transfection, trypsinize and count the cells. Plate 1.0x105 cells per well in 0.5 ml of complete growth medium. Cell density should be 50-80% confluent on the day of transfection.
- (Optional) The day of transfection, remove growth medium from cells and replace with 0.5 ml of complete growth medium.
- For each well of cells to be transfected, dilute 0.5 μg of DNA in 100 μl of Opti-MEM® I Reduced Serum Media without serum.
- If using PLUS™ Reagent: Mix PLUS™ Reagent gently before use, then add 0.5 μl PLUS™ Reagent (a 1:1 ratio to DNA) directly to the diluted DNA. Mix gently and incubate 5-15 minutes at room temperature.
- For each well of cells, add 1.75-3.25 μl of Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent into the above diluted Opti-MEM®:DNA solution, mix gently and incubate 30 minutes at room temperature to form DNA- Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent complexes.
- After 30 minute incubation, add 100 μl of the DNA- Lipofectamine LTX® Reagent complexes directly to each well containing cells and mix gently by rocking the plate back and forth.
- Complexes do not have to be removed following transfection. Incubate the cells at 37oC in a CO2 incubator for 18-24 hours post-transfection before assaying for transgene expression.