Scientists often want to know if the genetically transformed organism can pass i

Question

Scientists often want to know if the genetically transformed organism can pass its new traits on to its offspring and future generations. To get this information, which would be a better candidate for the investigation, an organism in which each new generation develops and reproduces quickly, or one which does this more slowly?



Safety is another important consideration in choosing an experimental organism. What traits or characteristics should the organism have (or not have) to be sure it will not harm you or the environment?


Based on the above considerations, which would be the best choice for a genetic transformation: a bacterium, earthworm, fish, or mouse? Describe your reasoning.



Describe how you could use two LB/agar plates, some E. coli and some ampicillin to determine how E. coli cells are affected by ampicillin.



What would you expect your experimental results to indicate about the effect of ampicillin on the E. coli cells?



On which of the plates would you expect to find bacteria most like the original non-transformed E. coli colonies you initially observed? Explain your predictions.



If there are any genetically transformed bacterial cells, on which plate(s) would they most likely be located? Explain your predictions.



Which plates should be compared to determine if any genetic transformation has occurred? Why?


10. What is meant by a control plate? What purpose does a control serve?

Explanation / Answer

A) Since we want to see if the organism can pass its traits on to future generations, we would want to observe an organism that develops and reproduces quickly. This is due to the fact that this organism will produce future generations far more rapidly than a slower growing organism, and the viability of the new organisms and analysis of inheritance can be observed more quickly. B) Safe organisms would need to be used in a rapid growth scenario. This is to ensure that the organisms can be easily contained. The organism should only be able to grow in a very controlled environment, or at the very least, easily killed. Also, it should be an organism that isn't parasitic in nature, and can't thrive in other organisms, or compete with other organisms to the point where they could competitivly kill another organism. C) Personally, I believe the bacterium would be the best organism, as bacteria grow and reproduce very rapidly, and there are many example model bacteria that are non-malignant, and can be killed easily using standard anti-biotics. D) By placing an equal portions of E. coli in both plates, and then treating one with ampicillin, we create an experiment-control environment. Compare the growth rates and behavioral changes of the bacterial colonies in the ampicillin treated plate to those inside of the non-treated plate(control) in order to see how ampicillin affects E.coli. E) Ampicillin is a common anti-biotic, and has been used extensively for years to treat bacterial infection. As such, the plate treated with Ampicillin should show a significant decrease in E.coli growth, if not an extermination of the E.coli, while the control should show a standard growth pattern and rate for E.coli. F) You would find the un-transformed E.coli on the control plate, as an untransformed E.coli would not be able to live on the Ampicillin plate. This is because the ampicillin normally would kill of unmodified E.coli. G) The gentically transformed bacteria, if transformed in a way to create a resistance to Ampicillin, would grow on both the control and ampicillin plate. However, on the ampicillin treated plate, all E.coli cells that were not genetically modified would die off due to the ampicillin, leaving only modified E.coli behind. H) A control plate is one that has no extra treatments on it, and only the standard growth medium. The purpose of the control is to provide a reference point, so that marked behavioral and growth differences in treated plates can be compared to a standard growth pattern.

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