Question

A eukaryotic gene has "sticky ends" produced by the restriction endonuclease EcoRI. The gene is added to a mixture containing EcoRI and a bacterial plasmid that carries two genes conferring resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline. The plasmid has one recognition site for EcoRI located in the tetracycline resistance gene. This mixture is incubated for several hours, exposed to DNA ligase, and then added to bacteria growing in nutrient broth. The bacteria are allowed to grow overnight and are streaked on a plate using a technique that produces isolated colonies that are clones of the original. Samples of these colonies are then grown in four different media: nutrient broth plus ampicillin, nutrient broth plus tetracycline, nutrient broth plus ampicillin and tetracycline, and nutrient broth without antibiotics. Bacteria that do not take up any plasmids would grow on which media?

Answer 1

Bacteria that do not take up any plasmids would grow only on nutrient broth without antibiotics.

This is because antibiotics from the broth will kill bacteria. If bacteria took the plasmid that carries the resistance genes for ampicillin and/or tetracycline it would grow on media containing that antibiotics.