ANONYM
Evolution and Diversity of Life
Laboratory #2 :
Bacterial Transformation
For March 6 2024
, Introduction
Bacterial transformation has paved the way for many practical applications, particularly
in biology labs and medicine. It is notably used in the creation of vaccines, medicines,
human proteins, and human insulin, which can be used to treat patients with type 1
diabetes. In short, bacterial transformation is a fascinating technique that embodies a
convergence between pure science and practical uses.
The goal of this lab is to learn more about this method by working with the bacterium
Escherichia coli and the pGLO plasmid, and then analyzing the results. We hypothesize
that only one pGLO will become fluorescent, the pGLO LB/amp/ara, due to the presence
of arabinose, an essential component for bacterial transformation. Before anything else,
we must first define the concepts and theories involved.
Théorie
E. coli Bacteria:
According to the World Health Organization, Escherichia coli, commonly called E. coli, is
a bacterium living in the intestines — more precisely, the digestive tract — of humans. It
is also found in other warm-blooded organisms. Ninety-five percent of its strains are
harmless. However, some can cause food poisoning leading to serious illness from
contaminated food. E. coli produces toxins called Shiga toxins due to their similarity to
another bacterium, Shigella dysenteriae. This bacterium multiplies at temperatures
between 7°C and 50°C, with an ideal temperature of 37°C.
According to LibreTexts Biology, it reproduces every 20 minutes. Three days later, 200
generations are already present. Moreover, E. coli has a genome — a set of genes — that
can mutate and be easily transmitted. This gives it the ability to readily exchange genetic
material with other bacterial families and to integrate other genes, such as those for
antibiotic resistance. This Gram-negative prokaryote, possessing a circular DNA
chromosome, has an inner cytoplasmic membrane, a periplasmic space, and an outer
cell membrane.
pGLO Plasmid:
Evolution and Diversity of Life
Laboratory #2 :
Bacterial Transformation
For March 6 2024
, Introduction
Bacterial transformation has paved the way for many practical applications, particularly
in biology labs and medicine. It is notably used in the creation of vaccines, medicines,
human proteins, and human insulin, which can be used to treat patients with type 1
diabetes. In short, bacterial transformation is a fascinating technique that embodies a
convergence between pure science and practical uses.
The goal of this lab is to learn more about this method by working with the bacterium
Escherichia coli and the pGLO plasmid, and then analyzing the results. We hypothesize
that only one pGLO will become fluorescent, the pGLO LB/amp/ara, due to the presence
of arabinose, an essential component for bacterial transformation. Before anything else,
we must first define the concepts and theories involved.
Théorie
E. coli Bacteria:
According to the World Health Organization, Escherichia coli, commonly called E. coli, is
a bacterium living in the intestines — more precisely, the digestive tract — of humans. It
is also found in other warm-blooded organisms. Ninety-five percent of its strains are
harmless. However, some can cause food poisoning leading to serious illness from
contaminated food. E. coli produces toxins called Shiga toxins due to their similarity to
another bacterium, Shigella dysenteriae. This bacterium multiplies at temperatures
between 7°C and 50°C, with an ideal temperature of 37°C.
According to LibreTexts Biology, it reproduces every 20 minutes. Three days later, 200
generations are already present. Moreover, E. coli has a genome — a set of genes — that
can mutate and be easily transmitted. This gives it the ability to readily exchange genetic
material with other bacterial families and to integrate other genes, such as those for
antibiotic resistance. This Gram-negative prokaryote, possessing a circular DNA
chromosome, has an inner cytoplasmic membrane, a periplasmic space, and an outer
cell membrane.
pGLO Plasmid:
