Bio-Rad Helios® Gene Gun System - Manual (Page 20)

4. Cut a 12–13" piece of syringe adapter tubing; attach one end of the tubing to the barb of a 1/8"
barb to female Luer fitting; attach the female Luer to a 10 cc syringe. This syringe and tubing
will be used to load the DNA/microcarrier suspension into the Gold-Coat tubing (Section 5.1).
5. (Optional—if peristaltic pump not used) Cut a 16-18" piece of syringe adapter tubing; attach
one end of the tubing to the barb of a 1/8" barb-to-female Luer fitting; attach the female Luer
to a 10 cc syringe. Slide the syringe into the 10 cc syringe sleeve; fasten the sleeve (with the
open side facing up) to the clamp on the base of the Tubing Prep Station using the plastic
screw; the screw should be tightened sufficiently to hold the sleeve and syringe stationary but
allow free movement of the plunger. This syringe and tubing will be used to remove the
ethanol from the DNA/microcarrier suspension in the Gold-Coat tubing if a peristaltic pump
is not available.
6. Attach the power cord to the three pronged receptacle on the back of the base of the Tubing
Prep Station and plug into an appropriate electrical outlet.
Nitrogen Pressure Regulator Installation
Components needed
Pressure regulator for nitrogen cylinder, user supplied (see Section 2.4). A regulator is avail-
able from Bio-Rad (catalog number 165-2425) which is ready for use in the Helios Gene
Gun System.
Nitrogen tank of grade 4.8 or higher (99.998% pure); maximum pressure of 2,600 psi, user
supplied.
1 1/8" open-end wrench or a 10" or 12" (~25 cm) adjustable wrench, user supplied.
Procedure
1. Secure the cylinder in a floor stand or to a wall or lab bench with a strap so it will not tip or
fall during use.
2 Inspect the cylinder valve for dirt, dust, oil, grease or damaged threads. Remove dust and
dirt with a clean cloth. Do not attach the regulator if you determine that the valve port is dam-
aged or cannot be cleaned. Inform your gas supplier of this condition and request a
replacement cylinder.
3. Clear the valve port of any foreign matter by standing to the side of the cylinder and quick-
ly opening and closing the cylinder valve.
4. If necessary, connect a male hose barb to the nitrogen regulator.
5. Attach the regulator to the cylinder valve and tighten securely with a 1 1/8" open-end wrench
or a 10" or 12" (~25 cm) adjustable wrench.
Connecting the Tubing Prep Station to the Nitrogen Regulator
Components needed
Nitrogen regulator attached to a nitrogen cylinder
Nitrogen hose [12 ft (~4 m), of 3/16" ID Nalgene tubing]
3/16" barb-to-male Luer fitting
Tubing Prep Station
Procedure
1. Determine the length of nitrogen hose needed to connect the Tubing Prep Station to the the
nitrogen regulator and cut it if necessary.
2. Connect the 3/16" barb-to-male Luer fitting to one end of the nitrogen hose.
3. Push the other end of the nitrogen hose onto the male hose barb on the nitrogen regulator. Do
not use hose clamps to secure the nitrogen hose on the Tubing Prep Station.
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