Stable cell lines are used in many applications, including protein production, drug screening, and functional studies. The generation of stable cell lines involves the introduction of a foreign gene of interest into the host cell genome and the selection and expansion of cells that stably express the gene. Here is a general overview of the steps involved in generating stable cell lines:
- Vector selection: The gene of interest is cloned into a vector that can be used for transfection. The vector should have a selectable marker, such as neomycin resistance or hygromycin resistance, to enable selection of cells that have incorporated the vector.
- Transfection: The vector is introduced into the host cells using various methods, including chemical transfection, electroporation, or viral transduction.
- Selection: Cells that have incorporated the vector are selected using a selectable marker, typically a drug that kills cells that have not incorporated the marker. The concentration of the drug is optimized to select for cells that have stably incorporated the vector.
- Clonal isolation: Individual cells are isolated and expanded to generate clonal cell lines that stably express the gene of interest.
- Screening: Clonal cell lines are screened for expression of the gene of interest using various methods, including Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and RT-PCR.
- Validation: Stable cell lines are validated to ensure that they retain the desired phenotype and function. This can include functional assays, such as protein production, drug screening, or cell-based assays.
- Maintenance: Stable cell lines are maintained by regular subculturing and testing to ensure that they retain stable expression of the gene of interest.
Overall, the generation of stable cell lines is a complex process that requires careful vector selection, transfection, selection, clonal isolation, screening, and validation techniques to obtain pure and functional cell lines that stably express the gene of interest.