pGLO Lab

      Our transformed bacteria (with the pGLO plasmid) have resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin, and can glow under a UV light with the presence of arabinose. In the 100 uL of bacteria we used to spread on each plate, I estimate that there is a large number of individual bacteria like 50 million or even more. Since bacteria are very small and microscopic, a lot can fit into a very small amount of space. The arabinose in the plates acts as a trigger for the plasmid. According to the vodcast, the presence of arabinose triggers the GFP in the plasmid that makes the bacteria glow. 

      The protein GFP has many used and applications in applied science and research, and these are three according to livescience.com and addgene.org. The glowing protein can be used to track cells like cancer cells. It can also be used to track the spread and progress of an HIV infection. It can also be used to monitor gene expression, if it is put under the control of a specific promoter. Another application of genetic engineering is in the agriculture and food industry. Many of the foods we eat are genetically modified (GMO). For example, crops such as corn can be modified to be resistant to pests or diseases that usually affect the crops.