Download Transformation Analysis Sheet Rewrite 2011

Name ____________________________
Results and Analysis for pGLO Transformation Lab
Data Collection
Observe the results you obtained from the transformation lab under normal room lighting. Then turn out
the lights and hold the ultraviolet light over the plates.
1. Carefully observe and draw what you see on the four plates. Include any observations of ability to
glow in UV light. Also record the number of colonies in the blanks provided.
# colonies _____
Observations:
+pGLO LB/amp/ara
Observations:
# colonies _____
# colonies _____
Observations:
Observations:
-pGLO LB
-pGLO LB/amp
+pGLO LB/amp
# colonies _____
Analysis:
1. Was the transformation process successful for your lab group? Support your answer.
2. What is the source of the glow in the bacteria that are glowing (what molecule is actually doing
the glowing?) Support your answer with reasoning.
3. Very often an organism’s traits are caused by a combination of its genes and its environment.
Think about the green color you saw in the genetically transformed bacteria:
a. What two factors must be present in the organism’s environment for you to see the green
color?
b. Explain the relationship between the sugar arabinose and the production of green color.
c. Why don’t organisms express all of their genes all of the time?
4. Calculation of Transformation Efficiency
In many experiments, it is important to genetically transform as many cells
as possible. For example, in some types of gene therapy, cells are
collected from the patient, transformed in the laboratory, and then put
back into the patient. The more cells that are transformed to produce the
needed protein, the more likely that the therapy will work. The
transformation efficiency is calculated to help scientist determine how
well the transformation is working.
Transformation efficiency = Total number of cells growing on the agar plate
amount of DNA spread on the agar plate (in μg)
Therefore, before you can calculate the efficiency of your transformation, you will need two pieces of
information:
a. the total number of green fluorescent colonies growing on your LB/amp/ara plate.
b. The total amount of pGLO plasmid DNA in the bacterial cells spread on the LB/amp/ara plate.
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We used 10 μl of pGLO at a concentration of 0.08 μg/ μl
You will need to know the total amount of liquid in the + tube
SHOW/EXPLAIN ALL OF YOUR WORK
5. Biotechnologists are in general agreement that the transformation protocol that you have just
completed generally has a transformation efficiency between 8.0 x 102 and 7.0 x 103 transformants
per microgram of DNA.
a. How does your transformation efficiency compare?
b. If it did not fall within the range given, what might have resulted in this variation? (Noteeveryone needs to answer this, even if it is hypothetical.)