AP Bio pGLO Transformation Formal Lab Report

Abstract: The topic of this research involved the occurrence of genetic transformation in bacteria (E. Coli). More specifically, a previously prepared pGLO plasmid--which consisted of the gene to be cloned--was used to transform non-pathogenic bacteria. The pGLO plasmid contained a gene for the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) from a bioluminescent jellyfish and a gene for resistance to ampicillin, an antibiotic. Essentially, we wanted to determine the conditions of the bacteria that would glow. Our hypothesis …

…enough are able to take up foreign DNA. This can be seen by the fact that the control (-DNA/LB) plate had a lawn of bacteria, whereas the ampicillin plates had small bacteria colonies (only transformed bacteria could grow). Our lab results are subject to imperfections, such as the fact that the heat shock timing might not have been perfect. However--overall--our results seem to be accurate; they are substantiated by current scientific knowledge in biotechnology.