Bio-Rad Helios® Gene Gun System - Manual (Page 10)

Battery
One battery is provided with the Helios Gene Gun System. Under normal use, it should
provide approximately 1,000 discharges. For maximum life, only alkaline batteries should
be used.
Laboratory Equipment
The following materials should be available before beginning any work with the Helios system.
Ultrasonic cleaner (e.g., Fisher FS3, Branson 1210)
Vortex mixer
Analytical balance
Microfuge
Peristaltic pump capable of pumping 5–8 ml/min (e.g. Bio-Rad Econo Pump,
catalog number 731-8140)
1.5 ml microfuge tubes
20 µl, 200 µl, and 1,000 µl micropipettors and tips
5 ml and 10 ml pipettes and pipettors
Lab timer
Ear protection (e.g., VWR catalog number 56610-728 (earmuffs) or catalog number
56610-680 (ear plugs)
1 1/8" open end or 10" or 12" (~25 cm) adjustable wrench
Helium tank (grade 4.5 or higher)
Nitrogen tank (grade 4.8 or higher)
Nitrogen regulator (e.g., Bio-Rad, catalog number 165-2425)
Scissors
Marking pen
Laboratory reagents
The following chemicals will be needed for coating plasmid onto the gold and for preparing
the tubing:
Gold microcarriers
Polyvinylpyrollidone, MW = 360,000
100% ethanol (e.g., Spectrum Chemical, catalog number ET-107; it is extremely important
that this be free of water; an unopened bottle should be used daily)
Spermidine (e.g., Sigma, catalog numbers S-0266 or S-4139)
Calcium chloride (CaCl
2
)
Plasmid DNA (for most applications, this should be at a concentration of ~1 µg/µl)
Plasmid DNA of high purity suitable for the Helios Gene Gun can be obtained through
use of any of Bio-Rad’s Quantum Prep
® Plasmid Prep kits.
Catalog
Number
Description
732-6100 Quantum Prep Plasmid Miniprep Kit, 100 preps
732-6120 Quantum Prep Plasmid Miniprep Kit, 20 preps
732-6130 Quantum Prep Plasmid Maxiprep Kit, 10 preps
732-6150 Quantum Prep HT/96 ClearVac Plasmid Miniprep Kit,
2 x 96 preps
6