cDNA and ORF clones provide a quick and accessible method for obtaining gene content for many in vitro and cell culture overexpression applications. The coding sequence is cloned into an expression vector under control of a strong promoter and then delivered to cells of interest by plasmid transfection or lentiviral transduction.
cDNA are ideal for overexpressing a gene in the context of native regulation, while ORFs have both 5' and 3' UTRs removed providing a shortcut to protein expression. They are most commonly used for gene overexpression studies, RNAi rescue experiments, structural analysis, visualization of protein localization, biochemical purification, and identification of interacting proteins through co-immunoprecipitation. See our gene overexpression applications page to learn more.
Benefits of using cDNA & ORF clones
| Save time | Have confidence | Unlimited usage |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-cloned reagents eliminate time spent cloning. Expression ready and easy-to-transfer options allow you to focus on phenotypic results. |
Human cDNA & ORF collections are sourced from trusted research groups with fully sequenced options. |
Overexpression clones are a "reusable resource" supporting unlimited experiments. |
cDNA & ORF collections
cDNA & ORF collections are available as individual clones or in a variety of library formats
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Mammalian Gene Collection
Widely recognized as the gold standard for full-length, the MGC offers fully sequenced cDNA collections for human, mouse, rat and bovine genes. -
Precision LentiORFs
Human ORFs cloned into a lentiviral expression vector with a GFP reporter. -
CCSB-Broad lentiviral expression library
Human ORFS in lentiviral expression vector with a C-terminal V5 tag. -
ORFeome Collaboration
Sequence-verified, human open reading frames (ORFs) subcloned into Gateway® recombinational entry vectors. -
CCSB hORFeome v5.1
Gateway® adapted human entry ORFs are ideal for easily moving entire families of ORFs into your choice of protein expression systems. -
CCSB hORFeome v8.1
The latest version of the CCSB Human ORFeome library from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. -
Non-mammalian cDNA & ORFs
Find cDNA and ORF clones for Yeast, E. coli, C. elegans, D. rerio, and Xenopus.
See our cDNA & ORF selection guide to learn more about each collection
Order individual cDNA clones
Mammalian Gene Collection cDNA clones
Fully sequenced pre-cloned cDNAs for human, mouse, rat, and bovine genes from the MGC.
Order individual ORF clones
Precision LentiORF clones
Create stably expressing cell lines, investigate overexpression phenotypes, or perform RNAi rescue experiments.
CCSB-Broad lentiviral expression clones
A fully sequenced collection of human ORF clones in an expression-ready lentiviral system.
ORFeome Collaboration clones
Verified to have a full-length ORF and easily transferable into any Gateway-adapted expression vector.
CCSB hORFeome v5.1 clones
Gateway entry vectors facilitate convenient transfer of ORFs into various expression systems.
CCSB hORFeome v8.1 clones
More extensive QC than previous versions, with clonal isolates verified by next-gen sequencing.
Have you considered CRISPR activation for endogenous gene up-regulation?
Learn about CRISPRaMammalian cDNAs
Derived from mRNA and including 5’ and 3’ UTRs, our cDNA collections are ideal for overexpressing a gene in the context of native regulation.
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Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) Clones
Completed by the NIH in 2009, the MGC is now recognized as the gold standard for full-length, fully sequenced cDNA collections.
Mammalian ORFs
With both 5’ and 3’ UTRs removed, open reading frames (ORFs) provide a shortcut to protein expression.
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Precision LentiORFs
Precision LentiORFs are expression-ready open reading frames (ORFs) that have been cloned into a lentiviral expression vector with a GFP reporter.
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ORFeome Collaboration Collection
ORFeome Collaboration (OC) clones are fully-sequenced ORFs in Gateway recombinational entry vectors. OC clones are available with and without stop codons.
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CCSB Human ORFeome
This Gateway adapted human ORF collection is ideal for easily moving thousands of open reading frames into your choice of protein expression systems.
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Human ORFeome V8.1 Library
This fully-sequenced collection of Gateway-adapted ORFs represents the latest version of the CCSB Human ORFeome library from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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CCSB-Broad Lentiviral Expression Library
A genome-scale library of human ORFS in a lentiviral vector, stop codons have been removed and clones contain a C-terminal V5 tag.
Non-Mammalian cDNAs and ORFs
Your complete source for cDNAs, ORFs, knockout strains, promoter collections and other resources for yeast, C. elegans, Zebrafish, Xenopus, and E. coli.
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Yeast
Browse our list of yeast resources including Yeast Knockout strains, Tagged-ORF strains, Genomic DNA, cDNA libraries, and additional collections.
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C. elegans
C. elegans ORFs, RNAi feeding collections, promoter and transcription factor collections.
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E. coli
Includes the E. coli Keio knockout collection, Promoter-GFP fusions for monitoring gene expression, and tagged ORFs for studying protein-protein interactions.
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Zebrafish
Full-length, fully-sequenced Zebrafish ZGC and IMAGE clones, as well as Exelixis and NEIBank cDNAs and the Zebrafish IMCB Collection.
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Xenopus
Full-length, fully-sequenced Xenopus ORFeome, XGC, and IMAGE cDNA and EST clones.
cDNA and ORF Libraries
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Cherry-Pick Library Tool
Upload your gene list to design and order a custom cDNA or ORF library.
Pre-defined gene family collections are available for many of our cDNA and ORF products. Choose from whole genome, gene families, or custom libraries.
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Mammalian Gene Collection Libraries
The mouse and human MGC libraries contain popular gene families in expression-ready and other vector backbones. -
CCSB Human ORFeome Libraries
The Gateway adapted human Entry ORF libraries are ideal for easily moving entire families of ORFs into your choice of protein expression systems.
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Precision LentiORFs
Precision LentiORFs are expression-ready open reading frames (ORFs) that have been cloned into a lentiviral expression vector with a GFP reporter. -
ORFeome Collaboration Libraries
ORFeome Collaboration clones are sequence-verified, human open reading frames (ORFs) subcloned into Gateway recombinational entry vectors.
-
CCSB-Broad Lentiviral Expression Library
A genome-scale library of human ORFS in a lentiviral vector, stop codons have been removed and clones contain a C-terminal V5 tag.
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Human ORFeome V8.1 Library
This fully-sequenced collection of Gateway-adapted ORFs represents the latest version of the CCSB Human ORFeome library from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. -
Non-mammalian cDNA & ORFs
Find cDNA and ORF libraries for E. coli, C. elegans, X. laevis, D. rerio, and yeast genes.
All clones and plates are provided as glycerol stocks. Individual strains are shipped at room temperature. Plates are shipped on dry ice. Both should be stored at -80ºC.