Question

1. what is the purpose of including the ampⁿ gene on the plasmid inserted into e. coli? (1pt)
2. explain one reason why bacteria do transformation in natural settings. (1pt)
3. fill in the expected results of the transformation of e. coli lab in the table below (4pts):

lb plates	will e. coli grow? y/n	explanation for the result on the plate	will e. coli glow? y/n	explanation for the result on the plate
-dna
-dna/+amp
+dna/+amp
+dna/+amp/+iptg

Explanation:

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1. ### Question 4

The $Amp^R$ gene encodes beta-lactamase, an enzyme that breaks down ampicillin. It acts as a selectable marker to identify successfully transformed E. coli that have taken up the plasmid, as only these bacteria can grow on ampicillin-containing media.

1. ### Question 5

Natural bacterial transformation allows bacteria to take up free DNA from dead neighboring bacteria to acquire beneficial genes, such as antibiotic resistance genes, to survive changing environmental conditions.

1. ### Question 6

LB Plates	Will E. coli GROW? Y/N	Explanation for the result on the plate	Will E. coli GLOW? Y/N	Explanation for the result on the plate
-DNA/+Amp	N	Non-transformed E. coli do not have the $Amp^R$ gene, so they cannot survive exposure to ampicillin.	N	No bacteria grow on this plate to produce fluorescence.
+DNA/+Amp	Y	Only successfully transformed E. coli with the plasmid (carrying $Amp^R$) can grow in the presence of ampicillin.	N	IPTG is not present to induce expression of the GFP gene under the T7 promoter.
+DNA/+Amp/+IPTG	Y	Transformed E. coli with $Amp^R$ survive ampicillin and grow.	Y	IPTG binds to the lac repressor to induce transcription of the GFP gene, so the bacteria produce fluorescent GFP protein.

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Answer:

1. Question 4: It is a selectable marker to identify transformed E. coli that can survive ampicillin treatment.
2. Question 5: Bacteria use natural transformation to acquire beneficial genes (like antibiotic resistance) to survive harsh environments.
3. Question 6: Completed table as shown in the explanations section.