Transfection of fetal HSkMC (Cat. No. 150-05f) with a GFP-expression plasmid using CF2.
Cytofect™ Skeletal Muscle Cell Transfection Kit
The Cytofect™ Skeletal Muscle Cell Transfection Kit is a plasmid DNA delivery system specifically engineered for primary skeletal muscle cells, including human skeletal muscle cells (HSkMC), proliferative myoblasts, and differentiated myotubes.
Description
The Cytofect™ Skeletal Muscle Cell Transfection Kit is a plasmid DNA delivery system specifically engineered for primary skeletal muscle cells, including human skeletal muscle cells (HSkMC), proliferative myoblasts, and differentiated myotubes. While primary myogenic lineages can be notoriously difficult to transfect using standard chemical reagents, the Cytofect™ system balances high transfection efficiency with low cytotoxicity, preserving cellular health and myogenic differentiation potential.
In culture, primary skeletal muscle cells model key stages of muscle development. Mononucleated myoblasts and satellite cell–derived progenitor cells proliferate and fuse to form elongated, multinucleated myotubes that recapitulate the structural and functional properties of mature skeletal muscle fibers.
Skeletal muscle tissue attaches to bones via tendons, generating the forces required for voluntary movement, locomotion, posture, and mechanical stabilization. Beyond contractile mechanics driven by actin and myosin myofilaments, skeletal muscle plays a central role in metabolic homeostasis. It serves as the major physiological site for insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, glycogen storage, and adaptive thermogenesis. Consequently, primary skeletal muscle cells are vital models for studying:
- Metabolic Disease: Insulin signaling pathways, glucose transporter regulation, and cellular mechanisms of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
- Myogenesis & Regeneration: Muscle stem cell proliferation, satellite cell activation, myoblast fusion, and tissue repair.
- Neuromuscular Pathology: Muscle atrophy, sarcopenia, muscular dystrophies, and excitation-contraction coupling mechanisms.
The Cytofect™ Skeletal Muscle Cell Transfection Kit provides a complete system containing Cytofect-2, an endosomolytic Enhancer, transfection medium, and antibiotic-free growth medium. The Enhancer complexes with plasmid DNA and Cytofect-2 to promote intracellular delivery and endosomal escape into the cytoplasm, facilitating nuclear entry of plasmid-encoded constructs without compromising cellular viability.
Plasmid DNA delivery into primary skeletal muscle cells enables transient gene expression, reporter gene assays, pathway overexpression, and promoter analyses. Key downstream applications include:
- Myogenic Differentiation Assays: Overexpressing regulatory transcription factors (e.g., MyoD, Myogenin) to evaluate myoblast proliferation and myotube fusion.
- Contractile & Structural Biology: Investigating sarcomeric protein assembly, dystrophin-glycoprotein complex function, and cytoskeletal integrity.
- Metabolic & Signaling Assays: Tracking GLUT4 translocation, insulin-receptor signaling, mitochondrial function, and cytokine/myokine secretion in response to metabolic stress.
Transfection, the introduction of nucleic acid into mammalian cells, is a powerful technique used to study in vivo gene function and regulation. The Cytofect™ Skeletal Muscle Cell Transfection kit is a plasmid DNA delivery system specifically optimized to deliver DNA into a wide variety of skeletal muscle cells. This kit contains Cytofect-2 and Media for transfection and culturing cells. The result has been high transfection efficiency and viability for these traditionally hard-to-transfect cells.
#Wells / Rxns
96 / 333
24 / 83
12 / 41
The Kit contains all necessary reagents, media and optimized protocols to carry out successful transfection smooth muscle cells with high efficiency (15-30%) and viability (80%-95%).
Products are for research use only. They are not intended for human, animal, or diagnostic applications. CF1 is manufactured by Targeting Systems.
Details
| Kit Contents: | Cytofect -2 Antibiotics-Free Growth Medium Transfection Medium |
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Designed to improve transfection efficiency and cell viability, Cytofect is a plasmid DNA delivery system containing Cytofect-2, Enhancer and Media for transfecting and culturing cells. The Enhancer is an endosomolytic peptide that complexes with DNA and Cytofect-2, then escorts the transfection complex to the nucleus. The results are high transfection efficiency and viability for traditionally hard-to-transfect cells.
FAQs
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Visit our comprehensive FAQ page for detailed answers to common questions.
Cytofect™ Transfection Reagents: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)