Bacteria Transformation
Students construct paper recombinant plasmids to simulate the methods genetic engineers use to create modified bacteria. They learn what role enzymes, DNA and genes play in the modification of organisms. For the particular model they work on, they isolate a mammal insulin gene and combine it with a bacteria's gene sequence (plasmid DNA) for production of the protein insulin.
The Enterococcus faecalis bacterium lives in the human gut.Copyright 2005 U.S. Department of Agriculture, http://www.genome.gov/dmd/img.cfm?node=Photos/Microorganisms&id=79092
Bacteria are the most common organisms modified by genetic engineers due to the simple structures of bacteria cells compared to those of eukaryotic cells. Engineers are able to add genes to bacteria using recombinant plasmids, which enable the bacteria to produce the desired beneficial proteins. Students use a paper model to simulate this real-life process used by bio-technicians.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Model and describe the process used by engineers to modify the genome of bacteria.
- Explain why bacteria are genetically modified more often than other organisms.
- Discuss possible applications for genetically modified bacteria.