How do you transform aorta-smooth muscle cells?

[aeschba at fmi.ch]

Dear netters,
I am trying to transiently transform human aorta-smooth muscle cells (ATCC# CRL- 
1999). I4ve tried Ca-phosphate, lipofection (DOTAB from Boeringer), as well as 
DEAE-dextran-transformations, but I haven't obtained any expression with various 
vectors (CMV- and SV40-promoter driven luciferase). I've tried different time 
points after transformation, as well as different DNA concentrations. The used 
methods are probably simply very harsh for this cell type and basically kill the 
cells. MCF-7 cells, on the other hand, did transform nicely using the same 
techniques in my hands.
Does anybody have experience with CRL-1999 cells? Any comments and suggestions are welcomed. Thanks

Dr. Roger Aeschbacher
c/o CIBA
Pharma Research
Mauerstr. K 681-304
4002 Basel

E-mail: aeschba at fmi.ch