How can I register?

You will find the link "register here" on the top center of our main page. Please enter your occupational e-mail address and press "Registration". You will subsequently receive your password by e-mail. After log-in you can complete your registration data (i.e. provide shipping and accounting data). Please note that you are only entitled to order with a full registration.

Can I change my e-mail address?

Your e-mail address is a crucial part of your personal registration. If you need to change your e-mail address because you have changed the institute you are working for you have to create a new account and specify also your new shipping and accounting data. You should inform our Accounting Department that the old account data have expired. In other cases, please contact the Accounting Department for assistance.

What do you mean with VAT number?

The VAT (value added tax) number is a tax registration number which is necessary for trading within the EU for those entities entitled to deduct input VAT. Please contact your financial department to obtain this number. The following table gives the different names, abbreviations and the composition of the tax code in the respective countries.

EC Country	Designation	Abbreviation	Country Code	Additional Numbers following the Country Code
Austria	Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer	UID-NR	AT	U + 8 digits
Belgium	Numéro d'identification à la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée/BTW-identificatienummer	No TVA BTW-Nr	BE	9 (digits only )
Denmark	Momsregistreringsnummer	SE-nr	DK	8 (digits only)
Finland	Arvonlisäveronumero	ALV-NRO	FI	8 (digits only)
France	Numéro d'identification à la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée/BTW-identificatienummer	-	FR	11 (digits only, or the first and / or second position may be a letter)
Greece	Anthmos Forologikou Mitroou FPA	AfM	EL	9 (digits only)
Ireland	VAT Identification number	VAT NO	IE	8 (the second position may be a letter, the last position must be a letter)
Italy	Numero di registrazione IVA	PIVA	T	11 (digits only)
Luxemburg	Le numéro d\x{2019}identification à la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée	-	LU	8 (digits only)
The Netherlands	BTW-identificatie-nummer	OB nummer	NL	12 (the tenth position must be the letter "B\x{201D})
Portugal	Numero de identificação para efeitos do imposto sobre o valor acrescentado	NIPC	PT	12 (the tenth position must be the letter "B\x{201D})
Sweden	Registreringsnummer for Mervardesskatt	MOMS-Nr.	SE	12 (digits only)
Spain	Numero de identificacion a efectos del Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido	NIF	ES	9 (first position and / or last position may be a letter
UK	VAT identification Number	VAT REG NO	GB	9 or 12 (digits only)

How can I order products from imaGenes?

Clones are ordered via internet in imaGenes' online-shop. To order, you have to be fully registered with imaGenes (i.e. indicate shipping and accounting data, see above). You can retrieve products of interest by using our GenomeCube search engine. You may add appropriate products to your shopping cart by mouse click. To order any other products or services from imaGenes, please contact our Sales Department.

Can I check on the status of my order?

We are working on an order tracking system. Until then please contact our Product Support Department.

Do you have a distributor for my country?

We have clone distributors for various countries. Please have a look at our Contact Page. You may retrieve products of interest and order by using our GenomeCube search engine. If a clone distributor is indicated at the above website for your country, the distributor will subsequently take care of your order. For all other countries you will be directly served by imaGenes.

Can I get a formal quote for your products out of the webshop?

Please add the products of interest to your shopping cart. The listed product price commensurates to our formal quotation which you can print for presentation at your purchasing department.

What are the shipping costs?

• Standard shipping costs are given in the table below. Shipping costs for larger shipments depend on the specific weight and destination.
• Forwarding expenses for dry ice deliveries are added once the courier has quoted the costs for the quantity of shipped dry ice.
• For shipping costs to countries covered by a local distributor (North America,Japan,Korea,Spain,Portugal,Singapore,Malaysia,Indonesia ) please inquire at your respective provider.

What is the delivery time to receive my clone?

The delivery time depends on the clone type you have ordered. Please check your order confirmation where you will find an estimated delivery time.

Can I check on the status of my order?

We are working on an order tracking system. Until then please contact our Product Support Department.

What are the imaGenes payment terms?

Our payments terms are 14 days after receipt of invoice.

Will you accept credit card payments?

We are working on a system for credit card payment. Until then please pay by bank transfer or cheque. You will find our bank details in the invoice.

Who has to pay for taxes?

For every delivery inside an EU member state taxes have to be charged. For tax exemption you have to provide the VAT Registration Number of your institution or company. We do not need the VAT Registration Number, however, for purchases outside the European Union or within Germany.

Which currency do you accept?

We only accept payments in EURO. Our distributors accept payments in the respective national currencies.

What are your Bank details?

Bank Name: Berliner Volksbank

For international money transfer:
IBAN: DE56 1009 0000 745 2222 005
BIC / SWIFT: BEVODEBB

For money transfer within Germany:
BLZ: 100 900 00
Konto: 745 2222 005

Genome Cube

How do I search imaGenes' clone repository with the "GenomeCube"?

A multitude of gene identifiers can be used to search the GenomeCube interface, e.g. gene symbol, GeneID, Unigene cluster ID as well as various GenBank Accession IDs. In case you want to use an alias you have to determine the official gene symbol e.g. Entrez Gene or GeneOntology . To identify the gene symbol based on a protein name you may have to check at UniProt. With regard to Clone Names it is possible to search for imaGenes Clone IDs, for IMAGE IDs and for different notations corresponding to genomic clones as applied in public databases (e.g. RP23-225D6).

How do I find further information of my clone of interest?

GenomeCube results for your query can be expanded to lists for the various product categories available at imaGenes. If you click onto the name of an individual clone in such a list, a new tab will open in your web browser, displaying detailed information about the product (Product Data Sheet). You will find information concerning the insert sequence (GenBank Accessions IDs are indicated) as well as "Technical Clone Data" (e.g. cloning vector, restriction sites used for cloning). We strongly advise to double-check the annotated clone sequence for compatibility to your specific experimental requirements.

Clone Types

How do I find the most appropriate clone for my experimental requirements?

imaGenes offers clone resources of different categories, to meet your experimental needs:

Genomic Clones – The insert represents a ~100-300 kb continuous chromosomal section of the respective species’ genome and may comprise full or partial coding as well as non-coding sequences (exons and introns / promoters) of the genes located in this region. Genomic clones are a valuable resource to analyze gene regulation (e.g. promoter identification). More

cDNA Clones – EST clones are characterized by a single sequencing read only, no further information concerning the whole insert sequence is available. Full Length cDNA clones comprise, in most cases, the whole amino acid coding sequence (CDS) / open reading frame (ORF) and parts of the untranslated regions (UTRs).

ORF Shuttle Clones – FULL ORF Shuttle Clones contain the complete coding sequence exactly in frame from start- to stopcodon cloned into a GATEWAY Entry vector. Due to the flexible Gateway® cloning system the insert sequence can be moved easily and highly reliable into various expression vectors in-frame by a site-specific recombination (“shuttle”) reaction via att sites, without further need of sequence validation. More

ORF Expression Clones – imaGenes and OmicsLink FULL ORF Expression Clones contain the complete coding sequence exactly in frame from start- to stopcodon cloned into a Gateway® Destination vector ready-to-use for protein expression. We offer various expression vectors allowing for the production of unmodified proteins or fusion proteins with different tags in E.coli, yeast, baculo system or mammalian cells. More

Synthetic Clones –An insert sequence is synthetically produced de novo and subcloned into an appropriate expression vector after bioinformatical optimization for protein expression in a particular system (e.g. E.coli, mammalian cells). The insert sequence can be tailored to your specific requirements (e.g. with regard to the introduction of mutations, tags, specific restriction sites, etc.). The insert will be fully sequenced, and we issue a 100% sequence guarantee. More

To get the full picture please refer to the detailed overview of imaGenes´ product types

General Questions

Where do I find the expected sequence for a particular clone?

Please have a look on the corresponding Product Data Sheet. In the “Sequence“ section at the lower end of this data sheet, you’ll find a summary of all sequence information publicly available for the respective clone.

cDNA clones: The entries can either represent single standard primer sequencing (“EST”) reads, covering the insert ends only, or the full insert sequence (IDs usually start with BC….). The insert comprises the sequence (cds and UTRs) as specified by the corresponding Accession ID. More

Full ORF clones: The insert covers only the cds (ORF) of the indicated sequence.
We strongly recommend to compare this information to the sequence you expect for the gene you’re interested in and to find out which transcript regions and/or variants or deviations are included in the construct.

What is the cloning vector for a particular clone ?

On the corresponding Product Data Sheet in the section “Technical Clone Data”, you will find the vector that was used for the construction of a clone, usually associated with direct links to a graphical map and the full vector sequence.

Which restriction sites were used for construction of a particular clone?

On the corresponding Product Data Sheet in the section “Technical Clone Data”, you will find details concerning the vector and insert restriction sites that were used for cloning. Please note that upon ligation of the insert into the vector, these restriction sites were not necessarily restored.

Genomic Clones

Mapping of genomic clones –
Where does a BAC clone map?
How can I find out whether a BAC covers the regulatory region of my gene of interest?
How can I get the whole insert sequence for a BAC Clone?

To find the most suitable genomic clone for a particular gene or to get a general idea concerning the genomic localization of a particular clone (e.g. promoter region included?) please use the publicly available databases: Ensembl Genome Browser, UCSC Genome Browser, NCBI Map Viewer. You may also download the DNA sequence for the corresponding genomic contig.

In general, the mapping of genomic clones was performed using the BAC end sequences which are indicated on the Product Data Sheet. Only for some clones you will find Accession IDs representing the whole insert sequence.

cDNA Clones

I find several GenBank sequence entries for a particular clone – which one is relevant?

On the Product Data Sheet you will find all sequence information publicly available for the respective clone (various Accession IDs for different sequencing results, note the modification date). The entries can either represent single standard primer sequencing (“EST”) reads, covering the insert ends only, or the full insert sequence (IDs usually start with BC….). The insert includes the sequence (cds and UTRs) as specified by this Accession ID.

How can I choose the appropriate clone from several Full Length or EST cDNA Clones?

The clones may be different with regard to the insert sequence (various Accession IDs) and the applied cloning vector (promoter, resistance, restriction sites). Please check if the indicated sequences and vector parameters match your experimental needs (for further details see FAQs below).

How can I check if the insert of a particular clone will cover the complete coding sequence?

Please check how the indicated insert sequence (GenBank Accession ID) maps to the sequence you are interested in.
Usually, the RefSeq entry is accepted as the official sequence or structure of a transcript, and is chosen by most researchers as a reference. The RefSeq entry for a transcript (Accession ID NM_XXXXXX) can be retrieved from the RefSeq database (NCBI, accessible via EntrezGene). You can easily navigate to a given RefSeq entry of a gene via a hyperlink provided at the top of a respective GenomeCube search result webpage, showing the product list. The corresponding cDNA sequence can also be searched by the Ensembl Genome Browser. (more details)

To perform an alignment of the sequences you may use the tool bl2seq from NCBI. To receive the cds annotation in the output, reformat the result (“Formatting options” and checkmark “CDS feature”) to display that annotation. (Please check the detailed description of the bl2seq tool.)

How can I check which transcript variant the insert of a particular clone will match?

To identify the transcript variants corresponding to a particular gene you may use Entrez Gene or the Ensembl Genome Browser. To find out which variant matches best to the indicated insert sequence of the clone you may perform an alignment of the sequences using the bl2seq tool from NCBI. (Please check the detailed description of the bl2seq tool.)

Why should I select the EST-Sequence Verification option when ordering a clone?

During library generation and clone re-arraying steps of large genome programs, errors may occur and clones may be associated to wrong sequence annotations. For the I.M.A.G.E. resource, e.g., this false annotation rate is known to be as large as 20% (see Nature 2001 Apr 19;410(6831): 860-1).

To overcome problems associated to wrong clone identities in large public resources, imaGenes offers an additional clone verification by a 5’ Sanger EST sequencing read. We highly recommend to confirm clone identities that way. Our sequence verification consists of a quality clipped, but otherwise uncurated end read (no full-length-sequencing !!). The result will be compared to the sequences already published for the particular clone and the resulting alignment confirms the clone identity. Using this service, only clones matching the clone reference sequence will be delivered and charged. Clones which cannot be confirmed will not be charged. imaGenes assumes no liability for clone orders where the client chooses to reject the offered EST-verification option. More

What do I do when the clone stabs contain the wrong insert?

As it is known that some clone resources may have an inherent false annotation rate, we offer an additional EST sequence verification / identity check.

If a clone was ordered without sequence verification, imaGenes assumes no liability for incorrect clone identity.
If your order included the additional EST sequence verification or the clone is part of an already EST verified library, we will re-pick and send you a replacement at no charge. Please inform our Product Support Department about the problem.

Why can’t I cleave out the insert when digesting with enzymes that were used for cloning the construct?

A restriction site used for cloning can be disrupted if different restriction enzymes causing identical overhangs at the end of vector and insert were applied. In this case, you have to choose the next suitable polylinker restriction sites flanking the insert.

Which promoter should be used for an in vitro transcription?

Please review the corresponding vector map to find the promoter suitable for in vitro transcription.

What is TA Cloning?

A method of cloning PCR products without the use of restriction enzymes, exploiting the terminal transferase activity of some DNA polymerases. PCR products are amplified with Taq polymerases lacking 5´->3´proofreading activity, which add a 3´-A overhang to each end of the PCR product. Such PCR products will be ligated to a linearized vector with complementary 3´-T overhangs using T4 DNA ligase. This method does not allow for a directional cloning of the insert sequence.

What is TOPO® Cloning ?

The key to TOPO cloning (developed by Invitrogen) is the enzyme DNA topoisomerase I, which functions both as a restriction enzyme and as a ligase. Vaccinia virus topoisomerase I specifically recognizes the pentameric sequence 5´-(C/T)CCTT-3´. It cleaves one DNA strand and forms a covalent bond with the phosphate group attached to the 3´ thymidine, enabling the DNA to unwind. The enzyme then religates the ends of the cleaved strand and releases itself from the DNA. To harness the religating activity, TOPO® vectors are provided linearized with topoisomerase I covalently bound to each 3´ phosphate. Thus, DNA sequences with compatible ends depending on the vector applied can be readily ligated.

May I use a cDNA clone for protein expression?

Minimal preconditions for expression of a fully functional protein are a cloning vector containing a suitable promoter for your expression system (e.g. mammalian cells, E.coli) (check the Product Data Sheet and the corresponding vector map) as well as an insert covering the complete open reading frame (ORF/cds). Please note that most of the inserts from Full Length cDNA clones comprise also long sections of the UTRs, whose influence on protein expression efficiency cannot be predicted (e.g. destabilization of mRNA, etc.). As an efficient expression using cDNA plasmids cannot be predicted reliably, we recommend to prefer our ready-to-use Full ORF Expression Clones.

Does imaGenes provide any cloning or clone modification Services?

imaGenes distributes only established clone collections for cDNA clones. We do not offer a service for modifying such clones. However, imaGenes offers an extensive range of options for library generation.

Regarding individual clones, imaGenes offers Gateway®-mediated ORF shuttling into a choice of destination vectors with various tags for different expression systems - please check our portfolio concerning Expression Clones .
Special designs not covered by this selection are feasible through our Gene Synthesis Service .

Shuttle / Expression Clones

What are the advantages of an Expression Clone compared to a conventional cDNA clone?

Expression Clones are designed for protein production. The insert comprises the complete coding sequence (ORF) of an mRNA (Full ORF Clones), but it does not contain any part of the endogenous UTRs which may strongly hamper protein expression (e.g. by destabilization of mRNA). In Expression Clones, the insert was cloned into an appropriate expression vector (suitable promoter for different expression systems, Shine-Dalgarno / Kozak sequence for efficient translation, different fusion tags). You may choose from various vectors according to your specific requirements.

What is a Full ORF Shuttle Clone? How is it related to Gateway® Expression Clones?

The Gateway Technology is a universal cloning method that takes advantage of a site-specific recombination reaction (“shuttle”) using att sites in the vector to provide a rapid and highly efficient way to move your gene of interest into various expression vectors.

First, an Entry Clone containing the gene of interest flanked by attL sequences is generated. imaGenes can offer different clone collections of such Entry Clones (i.e. “Full ORF Shuttle Clones”). Once a gene is cloned into an Entry vector you can transfer the ORF insert into one or more expression vectors by a highly efficient, site-specific recombination with the attR sequences to create your desired Destination Clone. Thereby, the Gateway Technology circumvents traditional restriction enzyme-based cloning limitations - orientation and reading frame are maintained by the recombination reaction, and there is no need for further sequence validation. These ready-to-use Expression Clones are also available at imaGenes.

How can I cut out or re-clone the insert from a Gateway® expression vector?

In case the insert is located in a Destination Vector compatible with the Gateway System, in general the insert cannot be precisely removed using restriction enzymes, as the vector was designed to allow the shuttling (insert transfer) by a site-specific recombination (no multiple cloning site). However, the att sequences contain a BsrGI restriction site which can be used, if short stretches of flanking sequences are acceptable and the enzyme does not cut within your insert sequence.

When should I use an expression clone with / without stopcodon?

Many ORFs are available with or without stopcodon – see the respective annotation in your GenomeCube search hit. The availability of both formats provides the freedom of choice to produce native proteins (closed sequence / with stopcodon) or C-terminal fusion constructs (open sequence / without stopcodon). Please take care not to combine a clone with stopcodon and a vector with C-terminal tags, since the tags will not be expressed. In case you choose a clone without stopcodon and a vector without C-terminal tags the translation will be randomly terminated by a stopcodon located in frame in the vector sequence, so that the expressed protein will comprise additional amino acids at the C-terminus. To derive the sequence of a particular imaGenes ORF Expression Clone you may contact our Product Support Department.

What are the advantages of lentiviral expression vectors compared to other mammalian expression vectors?

The lentiviral system is very effective in delivering genetic material to model organisms and almost all mammalian cell types, including non-dividing cells, cells that are not active or growing, or cells difficult to transfect (e.g. neurons, primary cells and stem cells). The efficiency of lentiviral transduction is close to 100%. The OmicsLink™ ORF lentiviral expression vectors contain the sequence features and elements allowing efficient packaging, transduction and stable integration into genomic DNA, and enable high levels of expression. Please keep in mind that handling of lentiviral vectors may require special safety measures (S2-classification according to German Genetic Engineering Act - GenTG)

Clone Handling

How do I grow bacterial clones?

The viability of ordered clones is confirmed before shipping. They are provided as agar stab cultures, which are viable for about two weeks at room temperature and several weeks at 4°C in the fridge. Do not freeze the stab culture.

For long-term storage at -80°C, please prepare glycerol stocks. For that, we recommend the following good microbiological practice procedure:

• Scrape a sample from the stab culture with an inoculation loop and inoculate an LB liquid culture containing the appropriate selection medium; incubate over night at 37°C
• Take a sample from the cloudy culture on the next day and streak it onto an LB agar plate containing the appropriate selection medium; incubate over night at 37°C
• On the next day, pick an individual colony and inoculate again a liquid culture with selective medium for glycerol stock and plasmid preparation; this can be done according to standard methods, as described in pertinent cloning handbooks

Which selection medium at what concentration do I have to use for my clone?

Please have a look on the corresponding Product Data Sheet on our webpages or check the shipping documents you have received along with the clone. Under the section “Technical Clone Data”, you will find information concerning the vector and the resistance.´

What do I do when the clone stabs are not growing?

When clones do not grow, we will re-pick and send you replacements at no charge, provided the original clone request was not older than a month. You have to inform Product Support about the problem in time.