E-porator...

[David Micklem]

In article <199710211522.JAA22722 at nestor.NMSU.Edu>, hroychow at NMSU.EDU
(Hiranya Roychowdhury) wrote:

>Hello,
>        We do not have it but would like to try and build one. A while back
>there were a few postings on where to find the schematics or how to build
>one from stuff off the local Radio Shack. Can anybody in the net point to
>that direction? My UG project student would like to try making an e-porator.  
>
>Regards,
>Hiranya.
>
Take a look at Dower et al, Nucleic Acids Res Vol 16, pp6127-6144 "High
efficiency transformation of Ecoli by high voltage electroporation", 1988.
This includes a simple circuit and some discussion of the parameters.

I used to have another reference (from before the end of 1991, maybe
Biotechniques?) that described a way of making a LOW voltage
electroporator.  Essentially, what is impportant is the voltage _gradient_
not the absolute voltage. Thus, if you drop the electrode separation
10-fold, you can drop the supply-voltage 10-fold.  IIRC (which I may not)
the authors achieved a very small electrode gap by sticking insulating tape
onto a sheet of stainless-steel (?) and could then use a regular
electrophoresis power supply as the source.  There was some very simple
capacitor/resistor circuit with one or two push-buttons to allow charging
of the capacitor from the power-supply and (exponential) discharge through
the sample.

I have a vague recollection that I might have posted the reference here
_several_ years ago, so maybe a search with my name would help?

David

PS Make sure he doesn't kill himself!

-- 
D.R.Micklem,                                Time flies like an arrow... 
Wellcome/CRC Institute,            Fruit flies like a banana.       
Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK               Email:drm21 at mole.bio.cam.ac.uk
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