Lab: Bacterial Transformation Lab

The results of this experiment ended up being very conclusive and not positively or negatively surprising. The data and results collected we what we had expected more importantly the ones on the X-Gal plates where the colonies were above 100. Both the stains of E. Coli grew colonies when they were in the LB. When the ampicillin was present the cells did not grow even with the X-gal. The transformed cells on the other hand grew when the ampicillin was there. When the X-gal and AMP were present the transformed cells grew and had a blue tint, which is why we call it the pBlu lab. (duh)

This lab is about moving genes from one thing to another using plasmids. Plasmid has the ability to replicate, so it replicates independently, and separately from the chromosomal DNA. Plasmid are one or more small piece of DNA and they enter cells as a double strand DNA. When they enter the cell as a doubke strand they do not invade he chromosomal DNA. We will also transform bacteria into GFP which is mainly from the jelly fish Aequorea Victoria. The GFP causes the the jelly fish to fluorescent and glow in the dark. After the transformation, bacteria starts to make the GFP which causes them to glow a green color under a ultraviolet light.

E. coli HB101 was transformed with pGLO plasmid then grown on media containing ampicillin and/or arabinose and on medium containing neither (Brown, 2011). This is done for selection of transformed cells since not all cells are expected to take up the plasmid (Brown, 2011). We also expect roughly the same CFU on any plate(s) receiving samples from the same microcentrifuge tube, since they are getting the exact same

The color of the bacteria was a whitish color and the colony size is similar both before and after the transformation. The best way to do it is to compare the control of the experimental plates. Cells that were typically not treated with the plasmid could not grow on ampicillin, although cells that were treated with the plasmid can grow on the LB/AMP plate. The plasmid would have to confer resistance to ampicillin. Moving on, the GFP gene is what is glowing in the plate because it was activated by the sugar arabinose. The sugar arabinose and the plasmid DNA are also needed to be present because that is what initially turns on the GFP gene which makes the bacteria glow. Organisms can also turn on and off particular genes for camouflage reasons. An organism would benefit from turning on and off certain

This experiment was designed to test and observe the transformation efficacy of the pUC18 and lux plasmids in making E. coli resistant to ampicillin. Both plasmids code for ampicillin resistance, however, the lux plasmid codes for a bioluminescence gene that is expressed if properly introduced into the bacteria’s genome. The E. coli cultures were mixed with a calcium chloride solution and then heat shocked, allowing the plasmids to enter the bacteria and assimilate into the bacterial DNA. The plasmids and the bacteria were then mixed in different test tubes and then evenly spread onto petri dishes using a bacterial spreader, heating the spreader between each sample to make sure there is no cross contamination. Each of the dishes was labeled and then incubated for a period of 24 hours. The results were rather odd because every single one of the samples grew. Several errors could have occurred here, cross contamination or possibly an error in preparation as every single sample in the class grew, meaning all samples of the bacteria transformed and became ampicillin resistant.

The experimental part of the lab consists of setting up the materials needed. A sample of E.coli and a solution of calcium chloride are first obtained and placed in different test tubes. 630µL of Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) are then removed from the test tube and inserted into the test tube containing E.coli cells (Alberte et al., 2012). The newly formed substance of Calcium Chloride and E.coli is then mixed and incubated in ice for 10 minutes, making the cells more competent. Two test tubes are obtained and labeled; the first test tube is labeled with pUC18 and the second one with “Lux” to represent the plasmids being used. These two test tubes are then incubated in ice. 3µl of the set plasmid are added to each of the two test tubes. The test tubes are tapped to guarantee the cells are well

Lab Day 2: The first procedure that was done was a simple stain to identify the bacterial shape. Bacteria tends to be transparent, so a stain must be use to color the cells of the bacteria so it can be viewed under a compound microscope. After heat-fixing three separate loopfuls of my unknown bacteria onto a slide, I used Methylene blue, Safranin, and Crystal violet to stain the three different samples. After rinsing the slide and observing my finding under the microscope, I

In the pGLO Bacterial Transformation lab, Escherichia coli is transformed with a gene encoding green fluorescent protein by inserting a plasmid containing the GFP gene, beta-lactamase, and arabinose into the bacterium. Successfully transformed bacteria will grow in the presence of ampicillin and glow a bright green color under ultraviolet light. The sugar arabinose is responsible for switching on the GFP gene in the transformed cells, without it, the gene will not be expressed.

The purpose of this experiment was to show the genetic transformation of E. coli bacteria with a plasmid that codes for Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and contains a gene regulatory system that confers ampicillin resistance. A plasmid is a genetic structure in a cell that can replicate independently of chromosomes. In this lab, the Green Fluorescent Protein, which is typically found in the bioluminescent jellyfish Aequorea Victoria, was cloned, purified, and moved from one organism to another with the use of pGlo plasmids. It was hypothesized that if bacteria that were transformed with +pGlo plasmids are given the gene for GFP, then transformed cell colonies

In our hypothesis we stated that only the container containing all of the components +pGLO, LB broth, ampicillin, and arabinose would be the one that genetically transformed. In order for the bacteria to grow at a rapid pace all it needed was LB broth but when you added ampicillin, an antibiotic, it killed off all of the bacteria. +pGLO has the gene to resist the antibiotic so when that was added it was allowed to grow but there was no sugar to turn on the glowing protein. Finally, after arabinose, a sugar, was added it turned on the switch located in the +pGLO for the fluorescence and enabled to grow and glow.

coli, to express a gene that is normally causes jellyfish to be fluorescent. The plasmid that contains the gene for the green fluorescent protein (GFP) is called pGLO. The type of genetic transformation we used in the experiment was heat shock which made the membrane of E. coli fluid and allowed the pGLO to enter the cell. In order for the E. coli to express the GFP gene there needs to be arabinose presence, which is a sugar that acts as an on switch for the pGLO. Using this information, we predicted the bacteria E. coli will grow and express the GFP on the plate that consists of +pGLO, ampicillin, arabinose, and LB broth (Luria Bertani broth).

Bacteria are the natural world 's unsung heroes. They receive bad rep due to the disease causing individuals like tuberculosis but the vast majority of bacteria on Earth are harmless if not beneficial to both the environment and humans. Take for example E. Coli a well known bacteria that lives within our intestines. This particular bacteria makes vitamins that we need in order to stay healthy. In this experiment we analyzed the changes seen in bacteria when adding to differing DNA plasmids; pUC18 and lux. To arrive to the most accurate results possible we had to have the E. Coli bacteria made permeable to the plasmids. So it was prepared with calcium chloride. One group of bacteria was given the pUC18 plasmid, and the other group was given the lux as well as the pUC18 plasmids. We then proceeded to incubate them in different containers. Some had ampicillin where as some had none. This was done in order to observe the effect of pUC18, and lux growth patterns. A control with neither plasmid was used to keep a basis for our experiments. Bacteria that had transformed and taken in the lux plasmid without ampicilin were able to illuminate, and only bacteria that gained the pUC18 were capable of surviving with ampicillin. The results observed reveal how foreign DNA can be adapted to fit into another cell 's DNA even incorporated to be an optimal part of the cell. This process makes it a very viable manner of being able to mass replicate advantageous genes, that would

The next two questions, “Why study bacterial gene regulation?” and “What are the basics of gene expression?” were addressed next in the seminar. Fascinatingly, a bacterial cell knows how to respond based on their environment. For example, they recognize and respond differently when in water than in a human. The average bacterial cell has close to 1000 genes, this is significantly more genetic information that they can use at any given time. These genes are stored in the DNA and each individual gene provides the information to make an individual product. So, how is a gene expressed? The first step in this process is called transcription. During transcription, the information encoded in the DNA is copied by RNA Polymerase to make mRNA. The next step is referred to as translation. During translation, the information in the mRNA is “translated” to make a protein using the ribosome. These steps basically turn genes “on and off” in a bacterial cell in response to a change in their environment. How does this happen? According to Dr. Henkin in her 2008

This experiment is about bacterial growth. We will demonstrate a bacterial growth curve using a closed system. Bacterial growth usually takes up to 12-24 hours to get an accurate result so we will be monitoring this growth between two classes. We also used different methods to determine bacterial growth as well as a few different calculations. One way of receiving data is by using a spectrophotometer where we will record the absorption at a given time to create the bacterial growth curve. We also used the plate count method after performing a serial dilution to calculate the actual cell density at different times given. By using this method we can count the population number of the same given and see the maximum cell density

This experiment was performed to test the hypothesis if LB nutrient broth, +pGLO and -pGLO Ampicillin, and Arabinose was placed in the E. coli plates, then there will be a significant growth in the newly transformed bacteria and it will possess the ability to glow under UV light. The measurements were recorded from the bent glass tube in each glass test tube. The transformation protocol tested for the newly possessed traits in E.coli bacteria. Throughout the experiment there were many probable reasons for failure. If the pipettes and sterile loop were not thrown out in between each use, a cross contamination could cause a miscalculation in the experiment causing the data results to fail. The hypothesis that was tested was validated due to the positive results with each experiment stating that newly transformed organisms due in fact pass on traits.