Lesson 2- Review Questions

By: Shadman Siddique

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

Ans: I would expect the petri dish labelled LB/amp(-) because in this petri dish none of the bacteria have the vector that would cause it to transform. Thus they would remain unchanged.

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

Ans: The transformed bacteria would appear in the LB/amp(+) and LB/amp/ara plates because in these plates the bacteria have the appropriate vector to cause the transformation. The results confirm this.

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

Ans: LB/amp(-) and LB/amp(+) because between those two samples on of them has been treated with the vector while the other hasn't. So if there is a change to occur we can predict that the change will occur in the one that is treated. This will provide us with clear observations of the changes.

4) What is meant by control plate? What purpose does a control serve?

Ans: The control plate is a sample that is made to compare the other samples to. In this experiment the control plates were the two negative LB/amp plates. These plates are not treated with the vector thus they will not show any changes. When compared to the transformed plates it will be very easy to see what has changed.

Transformed Sample

Non- transformed sample (control plate)