The purpose of this lab was to insert genes that would make E. coli resistant to ampicillin and to glow. Genetic transformation is an active uptake of free DNA by a bacterial cell and the incorporation of the genetic information. In this experiment plasmids, are inserted into a host E. coli cell. The lux operon is an operon that contains a gene for luciferase and a portion of the gene also has a resistance for ampicillin. This gene codes for enzymes that produce luciferins. These are what make the cell illuminate. In this lab we performed a genetic transformation of E. coli cells.
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to observe the transformation of bacterial cells. The basis for the knowledge of transformation began with Frederick Griffith’s experiments with mice in the 1920’s. The scientist found that the one strain of S. pneumoniae that made smooth colonies causes pneumonia and ultimately death for the mice while the rough looking colonies strain was harmless. However, when he mixed dead cells of the smooth strain with the rough strain, the mice became ill just as they did with the living smooth cells. Two of the harmless cells together made a harmful impact. Griffith proposed that the rough cells obtained the DNA from the smooth cells, therefore transforming them. The cells now had new attributes (genetic diversity). This is where the idea of transformation came from. In this lab, we test to see if E. coli cells can obtain DNA (plasmids) to have a new genetic make up and therefore resistances (from ampicillin, kanamycin, ability to glow).