AP Biology Students Shine a Light on Genetic Engineering of Bacteria
A lesson with a glowing review!
Carmel High School AP Biology students in Ms. Mackin's class were introduced to genetic engineering through a recent in-class transformation experiment. During the experiment, students inserted a gene from a bioluminescent jellyfish (Aequorea victoria) into E. coli bacteria to make it glow green under UV light.
Similar techniques have been completed in scientific labs around the world. Using these genes, scientists are able to track the insertion of genes into the genomes of other organisms in order to study the usefulness of gene therapy in treating diseases. The fluorescent glow in the organism proves to the researcher that there was a successful transference of genes.