What is transformation?
Transformation is the uptake of naked DNA by a bacterial cell
What promoter controls the GFP gene?
Transcription of the GFP gene is controlled by the promoer for arabinose metabolism.
What factors effect transformation of bacteria?
Methods of transformation
What is meant by competency?
Competency is the relative ability of a bacterial cell to incorporate naked DNA (plasmid) and undergo transformation.
Type of medium that contains reagant that will change color or react due to the growth of metabolism of bacteria.
Differential Media
What type of medium is this?
Ex: The reagants in MaConkey Agar (MAC) will turn bacterial colonies pink if they are able to ferment lactose.
Differential Media
What is the purpose of a selective marker?
Selectable markers show the success of a transfection or other procedure meant to introduce foreign DNA into a cell. It is a technique in gene targeting and gene knockout.
Ex: Beta-lactamase which confers ampicillin resistance to bacterial hosts.
What is the purpose of the heat shock step?
Heat shock forms transient pores in the bacteria’s cell wall, providing a path for the plasmid (foreign DNA) to approach the bacterial cell more readily.
Why are cells held on ice prior to heat shock?
What structure is commonly used by bacteria for motility?
Flagella are a common physiological feature of motile bacteria
Are all bacteria motile?
No but whether a bacterium is motile or non-motile can be a useful characteristic for differentiation
You have a suspected gram-positve culture. Would it be more appropriate to grow it on MacConkey agar or PEA agar to confirm these results?
PEA agar, because PEA agar is selective for Gram- positive bacteria. Because the growth of Gram-negative bacteria is suppressed by the interaction of the alcohol with the outer membrane, suppressing growth.
MAC is selective for Gram negative bacteria
In addition to selecting for halophilic bacteria, MSA can detect the fermentation of mannitol. What color will the plate turn if mannitol is fermented?
Yellow
If the halotolerant organism is able to ferment mannitol, the acids produced will cause the phenol red in the medium to turn yellow.
You disover that an unidentified bacterium you have been given is Gram-negative. Would you use MAC, PEA, or MSA to determine if the bacterium ferments lactose?
MAC, because MacConkey Aga is selective for Gram-negative bacteria and differential in lactose fermentation.
If an organism does not grow on MacConkey, what conclusions can you draw regarding its ability to ferment lactose.
No conclusions on the bacteria’s ability to ferment lactose can be drawn, since MAC is a selective and differential test.
When using selective media, why must a culture also be grown on TSA?
The TSA plate acts as a positve control in order to compare and differentiate among the enzymatic processes of bacteria, different media (such as selective and differentail assays) to detect metabolic and physiological differences
What are the selective reagants in PEA?
Phenylethyl Alcohol
What are the selective reagants in MAC?
Bile salts and crystal violet
What are the selective reagants in MSA?
7.5% NaCl
What are the differential reagents in MAC?
Sugar and neutral red (a pH indicator)
What are the differential reagents in MSA?
Sugar mannitol and phenol red (a pH indicator)
What type of media contains reagents that will change color or react due to the growth or metabolism of bacteria?
Differential Media
What is this an example of?
The reagants in MacConkey Agar (MAC) will turn bacterial colonies pink if they are able to ferment lactose?
Differential media
__________ ingredients do not suppress growth, they react in response to growth.
Differential