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By Anna Applebaum, Rebecca Miller, Nisha Chatterjee, and
Kim Miller
FLOGLOW: What is it?
Floglow is an innovative new product from our
company AMCM Inc. We took the popular glow-inthe-dark products and added a new touch: fresh
flowers. These flowers act like normal flowers but
they have one unusual twist—they glow in the dark.
These flowers make great nightlights, which are all
natural, and create the perfect atmosphere for an
outdoor dinner party or romantic occasion.
Glow-in-the-Dark Flowers Before…
Other companies have
produced similar
products in the past.
One such company is
FloraHolland BV, based
in the Netherlands, who
came up with a type of
glowing flowers. They
took regular flowers,
which appeared white in
regular light, and
sprayed harmless
chemicals on them to
make them emit a green
light in the dark.
…And After FloGlow
Our products are different,
and better, than
FloraHolland’s. Instead of
spraying our plants with
chemicals, we have
genetically engineered our
flowers to glow in the dark.
This makes them more
authentic and allows them
to last longer. Also, our
flowers have color in the
daytime. This allows you
to enjoy your favorite
flowers in the day and also
to appreciate their new
appearances at night.
FloGlow: Yes or No?
Our consumers decide.
We interviewed 32 people
to find out whether our
product was
marketable, and
whether or not
consumers would buy
them. Here are our
results: out of 32
people, an astonishing
26 said “yes”.
We’d like to thank those
who participated in our
survey- Sydney Wagner, Natalie
Wolfenbarger, Brain Veeh, Christine
Sun, Julie Yu, Joanna Jao, Rachel
Baughman, Connie Suh, Molly
Teodo, Karen Atkins, Annie
Bonaccorso, Melissa Katow,
Solange Kim, Lucy Filippone,
Shannon Streeter, Eric Smith, Jessie
Abbott, Graham Chuck, Nina Bucar,
Angela Sarkisian, Kate Penniall,
Lucia Botta, Max Scott, Mike Scott,
Candace Kim, Monica Jung,
Stephanie Ozawa, Becky Hummel,
and Amanda Dundee.
The Creation of FloGlow
The first step in the process
of genetically creating
glow-in-the-dark flowers
was to find the right
organisms. For the
flowers, we used tulips, as
they are extremely pretty
and are easy to care for.
For the glowing gene, we
turned to a sea creature
called Noctiluca scintillans.
Noctiluca Scintillans: Seasparkles
Noctiluca scintillans, more
commonly known as
seasparkles are
dinoflagellates, or singlecelled algae. Noctiluca
bodies are in the form of a
gas bag, which allows it to
float, and has two flagella that
allow it to move. These
organisms, with millions
floating next to each other in
the sea, combine to form a
shimmering glowing light that
illuminates the depth of the
sea. This biological
phenomenon is known as
bioluminescence.
Finding the Gene: DNA
Sequencing and Electrophoresis
To find the sequence of DNA, we
first had to isolate the gene.
DNA sequencing is based on
lengthening DNA strands.
First, we divided the DNA we
wanted to use into four
groups, and heated them to
separate the two strands.
Separate primers that are
‘labeled’ by dye were added
to each group. We used DNA
polymerase to extend the
sample DNA so it became
double-stranded once again,
but this time with a different
nucleotide modified in each
separate bunch.
The four batches were
combined, and the mixture of
partly double-stranded DNA
are separated. Then, we used
electrophoresis. This
separated the molecules by
size, with shorter molecules
moving faster through the gel
we put them through.
Because a different dye was
applied to each one, the color
as each batch ran through the
gel was different, and all of
the different colors together
revealed the original base
sequence of DNA.
PCR: Heating and Repeating
Polymerase Chain Reaction
was developed in the early 1980’s
by Kary Mullis (Nobel Prize for
Chemistry in 1993). It is a
method that produces many
copies of DNA from a tiny piece
of DNA using DNA polymerase.
To start off the process, we took
double-stranded DNA from tulips
and heated it to 95 degrees C.
The strands separated and we
cooled them to 60 degrees C.
Primers were bound to DNA
strands then reheated to 72
degrees C. DNA polymerase
extended the primers and two
double-stranded DNA were
produced.
PCR: Heating and Repeating Con.
We repeated the process 30 to
40 times, and each cycle
took us about 3 to 4
minutes. In the end,
several million copies of
the tulip DNA was
produced.
We used Thermus aquaticus
bacterium from hot springs
for the DNA polymerase,
because their DNA
polymerase can withstand
hot temperatures.
Recombinant DNA: The Final
Stage
Recombinant DNA is the process
of recombining DNA from two
organisms. The process was
first used during Griffith’s
experiment involving
laboratory mice. The first
step is the isolation of the
needed DNA in the gene from
the source (in our case,
noctiluca scintillans). A
restriction enzyme is used to
cut it out.
Then, we used the same
restriction enzyme to cut out
plasmids from a bacteria.
Next, we combined the
plasmid with our gene and
put it back into the bacteria
and let it grow. Finally, we
stuck the bacteria into the
tulip genes, where the
modified cells replicated
alongside the normal cells.
What Our Customers Say
“ It will save money on electricity, and its cool!”
-Karen Atkins
“Yeah! You could use it for like romantic outdoor
settings and stuff.”
-Max Scott
“I love flowers, and I love nightlights, so what
could be better?”
- Jessie Abbott
Brought to you by AMCM Inc.
(Advanced Modification for Commercial
Marketing)
Check out our other products at
www.amcminc.com