Expression of SNAPf Fusions in SNAPf-H2B (N9186)

Protocol

  1. Transient Expression
    Expression of the fusion protein cloned in pSNAPf-H2B can be achieved by transiently transfecting cells in culture with standard transfection protocols. The appropriate reagent and time to permit adequate expression must be empirically determined. pSNAPf-H2B has performed well in stable and transient transfection of CHO-K1, COS-7, U-2 OS and NIH 3T3 cells. Note that the intensity of the fluorescence may vary depending on cell line and labeling substrate used.

    Stable Expression
    pSNAPf-H2B can be transfected as described above for transient transfection or by other standard transfection methods. Twenty four to 48 hours after transfection begin selecting mammalian cultures in 600–1,200 µg/ml G418 (geneticin) depending on the cell line. It is recommended that you establish a kill curve for each cell line to determine optimal selection conditions. After 8–12 days of continuous selection, stable colonies will become visible. It is possible to use pools of stable cell populations for initial cell labeling to test for the presence of SNAP-tag expression. In addition clonal cell lines can be isolated and characterized if desired.

    Troubleshooting

    Expression
    In general, we have not experienced problems expressing H2B-SNAPf from the pSNAPf-H2B plasmid. Labeling of transfected cells with a fluorescent SNAP-Cell substrate should show strong nuclear fluorescence. Note that the intensity of this fluorescence may vary depending on cell line and substrate used. In most instances, difficulties in expression can be resolved by altering the transfection protocol.