lab IBL (bacteria transformation) glossary Flashcards
agar
a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed. provides solid matrix to support bacteria growth. contains nutrient mixture of carbohydrate, amino acids, nucleotides, salts and vitamins
NOTE: concentration can be changed (colonies growth affected)
antibiotic selection
use of an antibiotic to select bacteria containing DNA of interest
EXAMPLE: the pARA-R plasmid DNA contains the gene for beta-lactamase that provides resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin. once bacteria are transformed with the pARA-R plasmid, they begin producing and secreting beta-lactamase protein. secreted beta-lactamase breaks down ampicillin, rendering the antibiotic harmless to the bacteria host. only bacteria containing the pARA-R plasmid can grow and form colonies in nutrient medium containing ampicillin, while untransformed cells that have not taken up the pARA-R plasmid cannot grow on the ampicillin selection plates.
arabinose
a carbohydrate isolated from plants that is normally used as source of food by bacteria. in this experiment, arabinose initiates transcri[tion of the RFO gene resulting in fluorescent green cells under UV light
beta-lactamase
beta-lactamse is a protein that provides resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin. the beta-lactamase protein is produced and secreted by bacteria that have beem=n transformed with a plasmid containing the gene for beta-lactaamse. the secreted beta-lactamase inactivites the ampicili present in the LB nutrient agar, which allows for bacteria growth and expression of newly acquired genes also contained on the plasmid, such as RFP.
biotechnology
applying biology in the real world by the specific manipulation of living organisms, especially at the genetic level, to produce potentially beneficial products
cloning
process of generating virtually endless copies/clones of an organism or segment of DNA. produces a population that has an identical genetic maeup
colony
a clump of genetically idetical bacteria cells growing n agar plate because
