Structural Biochemistry/DNA recombinant techniques/293T Cells

293T Cells

293T cells, or Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) 293 cells, are cells that are derived from human embryonic kidney cells. These cells are very tough and can be cultured easily through tissue culture. They are normally used in transfection for research, since they are very good models for cancer cells, and normal cells. These cells also have a very high transfectability, depending on the technique used. Some techniques yield close to 100% transfection.

They are usually transfected with a gene of interest and it is allowed to grow as a normal cell. Through translation it makes proteins from the gene of interest, which can then be studied. These cells are basically test tubes in which proteins are grown.

Another use of these cells is to produce viral vectors, which can be used to easily inject genes of interest into other cells. However, viruses can be a danger since they are pathogens, so 293T cells provide the ability to delete genes that allow the viruses to replicate.