MAGE cycle

A MAGE cycle is a series of steps performed repeatedly. These steps include competence induction, electroporation to transform cells with ssDNA(s), and outgrowth to allow recombination of ssDNA(s) into the chromosome.

Each cycle takes approximately 2.5 hours. You can have a look at it in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The MAGE cycle. The MAGE cycle can be grouped into 3 main groups: 1. Growth. Each cycle begins with a cell population growing at mid-log phase; 2. Replacement. Cells are induced, washed, mixed with ssDNA(s), and electroporated where the transformation will take place, thus changing the genetic makeup of the cell; 3. Recovery. An outgrowth period allows cells to recover and mutations to be fixed. The cells culture can be diluted again and the cycle is repeated.