Electroporation enables the formation of pores in cell membranes to allow transfer of genetic material into the cell (i.e. transformation). The ECM 830 is a square wave generator designed to be gentler to cells, producing more viable cells following treatment (fewer pores are opened for a longer period of time). As a result, less cell repair is required and there is, consequently, less damage. We have had a much higher success rate using this machine compared to our old machine that used an exponential decay wave.
The ECM 830 is capable of generating 1-500V in low voltage (LV) mode and 0-3000V in high voltage (HV) mode. The pulse length range is 10us to 1sec in LV mode and 10us to 600us in HV mode. You can set up to 99 pulses at 0.1 to 10 pulses per second frequency. The safety stand is designed to hold up to 2 cuvettes and can be adjusted to use different manufacturer’s cuvettes (we have been happy with BTX cuvettes). The safety stand is designed to make sure that a current cannot be delivered with the lid open, while ensuring cuvette stability and good contact with the electrodes.
The machine has a very minimal interface, consisting of a dial which is very simple to use but has a few disadvantages. Using the dial to alter voltage moves it 1V at a time (LV) or 5V at a time (HV) thus, unless you have a saved program it can be time consuming to do this each time for voltage, pulse length etc. In addition, you only have the option of saving two programs and you cannot name them they are just given a number.
Our primary use for this electroporator is the transformation of electro-competent cells, such as TOP10, so the limited number of saved programs is not an issue for us (currently, we only use two programs). In a lab where you have a lot of different users, this could be a factor. Loaded programs are not automatically locked (except saved programs), so you need to make sure you don’t accidentally alter the settings causing an experiment to be run using the wrong settings.
The BTX website has an easy-to-find list of protocols, which not only offers parameters and conditions for many different cells, but also presents hints on optimising for your applications. Most common cells and uses are covered, so you will be able to download the protocol without having to spend any time optimising.
The ECM 830 is a good, basic electroporator and we have had some excellent results with it, however, if you use a lot of different protocols then you should be aware it has limited memory and programming it may be a little time consuming.
Matt Hall
Technician
Marine Biological Association of the UK