I. TITLE: GENE TRANSFER OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND BIOLUMINESCENCE IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

II. INTRODUCTION

A. Background on antibiotics

1. History of antibiotics

a. Fleming’s discovery of penicillin and its early significance

-antibiotic inhibition of protein synthesis, cell wall synthesis, and other cellular processes

b. Antibiotic overuse led to bacterial resistance

Background on the transfer of resistance genes from one bacterium to another

1. Location of genes in bacteria and their means of transfer

a. Genes located on plasmids, “mini-chromosomes” in bacteria and carry few traits

b. Direct transfer by transformation of gene transfer from one bacterial cell to another (Purpose)

C. Background on current experiment

1. Key information of experimental processes

a. Resistance to antibiotic ampicillin on Escherichia coli and the transfer and growth of the bacteria under various conditions (Purpose)

b. E. Coli caries plasmid for bioluminescence (pJE202)

-differentiate bioluminescence vs. fluorescence

c. Competence (shock) of E. Coli cells to become permeable to DNA and accept plasmid

2. Hypothesis and predictions

a. If the E. coli cells are transformed with the new plasmid DNA, then in the presence or absence of the antibiotic ampicillin, colonies should be present and have the capability of bioluminescence (Hypothesis)

b. Plates A, B, & D will show colony growth, while plate C will not because of no plasmid DNA and the presence of the antibiotic ampicillin (Prediction)

c. Plates A & C which has E. Coli extracted from tube #1 will not be capable of bioluminescence, while B & D will because of its extraction for test tube #2 (Prediction)

METHODS

A. Preparation of specimens in test tubes

1. Two microtubules labeled #1 and #2 each containing 100