Bacterial Transformation: Green Fluorescent Protein

From the University of California, Davis, Partnership for Plant Genomics Education, this biotechnology laboratory is a five-day activity with bacterial transformations and green fluorescent protein. “In this lab activity, students will attempt to cause a wild type strain of E. coli to incorporate and express a plasmid containing a gene that codes for a green fluorescent protein (GFP). The source of the GFP gene is the bioluminescent jellyfish Aequorea victoria. The plasmid also contains an ampicillin-resistance gene.” Several bioethics activities, readings, and diagrams help to illustrate and supplement the experiment. There are safety instructions, objectives, materials, preparation and clean-up notes, procedures, and questions for students to answer. It’s a ready-to-use activity for biotechnology or plant genomics classrooms.