Question

If the genetically transformed cells have acquired the ability to live in the presence of the antibiotic ampicillin, then what might be inferred about the other genes on the plasmid that you used in your transformation procedure?

Answer 1

Answer:

The plasmid must express a gene for ampicillin resistance (the protein product of  the bla gene codes for beta-lactamase, the protein that breaks down ampicillin). The colonies on the ampicillin plate are antibiotic resistant. This means that they have taken up the transformed plasmids expressing both the bla gene and the GFP gene.

Explanation:

The transformation involved the genetic modification of a plasmid to incorporate the gene encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jelly fish. GFP makes cells glow under UV light.

In genetic engineering, scientists use antibiotic resistance as markers to indicate cells that have been transformed. By incorporating an antibiotic resistance gene such as bla into the vector (plasmid) and then growing the cells in antibiotic media, scientists determine which colonies have taken up the plasmid. Therefore, if the cells survive, this means that they contain the plasmid with antibiotic resistance gene as well as the GFP gene.