Bacteria Paper

In this lab we observed the growth of bacteria in a conjugation and transformation experiment. We expected the mating plate of the conjunction to grow and the bacteria on the transformation plates to grow also. We also practiced using aseptic techniques to clean the lab benches and to keep the bacteria from being contaminated from outside bacteria. This lab will take a total of 2 days because of the observations that need to be made. The parts of this paper will explain the procedure and the observations of the bacteria plates.

This lab was presented in the General Biology 103 Lab Manual by the Department of Biology, Fall 1999 edition on pages 106-118. In this lab we first used specific aseptic techniques to properly transfer bacteria from test tubes to petri dishes. The lab bench was cleaned with a 10% Clorox bleach solution and left to dry while my lab partners and myself washed our hands. A Bunsen burner was provided so the inoculating loop and the neck of the test tubes could be placed in the flame to kill off any bacteria that was on it. After the inoculating loop and test tube neck are cooled the loop is pl

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coli in transforming with the plasmid. After the aseptic techniques are followed four petri dishes are obtained and labeled with the type of bacteria that will be placed in it. Competency occurs naturally in species but can also be done experimentally.

For the next part of the lab transformation will be studied. The cells were left on ice and then placed into a 49°C for 90 seconds and then placed back on ice. The temperature change creates a draft to carry the DNA into the cell. The nutrient broth is a combination of sugars, minerals and amino acids. Because of the growth on all three plates I came to the conclusion that the DNA was shared between both strains of bacteria. If the conjunction did not take place I would have expected the same results that were observed in table 1-1. In the first plate containing LB agar only we observed that the bacteria grew for both the streptomycin and ampicillin.

In the process of transformation there is an uptake of exogenous DNA to create a genetic trait that is stable and heritable. The dish with LB and ampicillin produced growth on both sides and finally the LB, ampicillin and Xgal produced growth on both sides. Growth on the mating plate proved to be a success because we were looking for growth and we got it. The Xgal is so identical to lactose that beta-galactosidase will recognize Xgal as lactose. The state before transformation is called competency.

Approximate Word count = 1614
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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