Formal Lab Report Bacterial Transformation
Introduction:
Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms. Their genetic information is encoded in one large chromosome. It can also be found in plasmids which are small circular pieces of DNA that contain important genetic information for the growth of bacteria. In nature, this information is often a gene that encodes a protein that will make the bacteria resistant to an antibiotic. The reason for this protein being made within the bacteria is because of how bacteria usually grow in the same environment as molds and fungi and compete with them for resources. As a result, molds and fungi have evolved to make toxins that kill bacteria, something that is now used as antibiotics in medicine, in order to gain an advantage over the bacteria. Bacteria, in turn, evolved to make proteins that neutralize the toxins. Bacteria can transfer this genetic information to other bacteria through plasmids. When a bacterium transforms through obtaining genetic information from an external source, the new genes will be incorporated into the plasmid.
This experiment deals with the plasmid pFLO which encodes a gene for resistance to an antibiotic named ampicillin that kills the E.coli bacteria. In this experiment, pFLO shall be transferred to four different colonies of E. coli bacteria. Two of the colonies will be grown on plates with ampicillin and Luria Broth which is composition of ingredients used to promote growth of, in this case, the bacteria. One of these plates will contain plasmid, while the other will not. The other two plates will just contain Luria Broth. Once again, one will contain plasmid and one will not.
The research question for this experiment is: What is the difference in the transformation efficiencies between pFLO and pBLU. Before completing this lab, a first trial was done following the same procedure below but instead of pFLO, pBLU was used. It is believed that the transformations efficiencies should be similar due to the fact that both plasmids are
Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms. Their genetic information is encoded in one large chromosome. It can also be found in plasmids which are small circular pieces of DNA that contain important genetic information for the growth of bacteria. In nature, this information is often a gene that encodes a protein that will make the bacteria resistant to an antibiotic. The reason for this protein being made within the bacteria is because of how bacteria usually grow in the same environment as molds and fungi and compete with them for resources. As a result, molds and fungi have evolved to make toxins that kill bacteria, something that is now used as antibiotics in medicine, in order to gain an advantage over the bacteria. Bacteria, in turn, evolved to make proteins that neutralize the toxins. Bacteria can transfer this genetic information to other bacteria through plasmids. When a bacterium transforms through obtaining genetic information from an external source, the new genes will be incorporated into the plasmid.
This experiment deals with the plasmid pFLO which encodes a gene for resistance to an antibiotic named ampicillin that kills the E.coli bacteria. In this experiment, pFLO shall be transferred to four different colonies of E. coli bacteria. Two of the colonies will be grown on plates with ampicillin and Luria Broth which is composition of ingredients used to promote growth of, in this case, the bacteria. One of these plates will contain plasmid, while the other will not. The other two plates will just contain Luria Broth. Once again, one will contain plasmid and one will not.
The research question for this experiment is: What is the difference in the transformation efficiencies between pFLO and pBLU. Before completing this lab, a first trial was done following the same procedure below but instead of pFLO, pBLU was used. It is believed that the transformations efficiencies should be similar due to the fact that both plasmids are