Description
Ditch the dish and kick the ice bucket! Upgrade a classic central dogma lab activity to reduce your prep and integrate technology to take the mess out of transformation. In this hands-on Bacterial Transformation Minilab that helps teach the basics of genetic engineering, students use a standard heat shock protocol in a PCR system** to control the temperature to introduce plasmid DNA into a safe strain of E. coli. Once plated and incubated, students can observe how transformed and untransformed samples behave depending on the media they are plated on which illustrate constitutive versus induced expression.
This lab uses the innovative MiniOne gloTray®, which replaces four petri dishes and comes pre-poured to greatly reduce prep for teachers, and takes advantage of the MinOne PCR System**’s temperature control capabilities to eliminate the need for ice buckets and water baths. The entire heat shock protocol can be done in the PCR system. After incubation, visualize and document your results by placing the gloTray® in The Winston Fluorescence Reader** to see all 4 conditions at one.
The Let it Glow Bacterial Transformation MiniLab is ideal for students in advanced and AP Biology, as well as those in a biotech program.
**Please note the following equipment is REQUIRED but not included:
- MiniOne PCR System with power supply + cord or water bath or heat block
- MiniOne Winston Fluorescence Reader with photo hood or equivalent blue light illuminator
- MiniOne SpiniOne benchtop microcentrifuge w/ photo hood or equivalent centrifuge
- MiniOne Micropipette 2-20 µL, adjustable volume or equivalent 2-20 µL micropipette
- MiniOne Micropipette 20-200 µL, adjustable volume or equivalent 20-200 µL micropipette
Prep Be Gone!
- gloTrays® come pre-poured and ready to use
- Reagents are pre-aliquoted for individual workstations, reducing precious prep time for busy teachers
Flexible timing
Prep to results in as little as two days!
Hands-free and no-mess heat shock
The MiniOne PCR System’s 4°C capability allows you to use your thermo cycler as a heat block and an ice bucket in a linked protocol! Run the entire transformation protocol in ~13 min.
See all of your results at once
The Winston Fluorescence Reader uses blue light illumination for immediate visualization and documentation of results!
Clear and Positive Results
Tight control of GFP Expression for no leakage of GFP in un-induced conditions.
Materials Included in each Let it Glow™ Bacterial Transformation MiniLab:
Each MiniLab contains enough materials for 10 workstations, 2 – 3 students per workstation. Reagents come pre-aliquoted for individual workstations.
- MiniOne gloTrays® with LB medium
- BL21 stock culture on gloTray®
- LB broth medium
- Bag of 0.65 mL microcentrifuge tubes
- CaCl2 solution
- eGFP plasmid DNA solution
- Sterile dH2O
- Plastic inoculating loops
- Sterile wooden spreaders
REQUIRED but not included:
- MiniOne PCR System with power supply + cord or water bath or heat block
- MiniOne Winston Fluorescence Reader with photo hood or equivalent blue light illuminator
- MiniOne SpiniOne benchtop microcentrifuge w/ photo hood or equivalent centrifuge
- MiniOne Micropipette 2-20 µL, adjustable volume or equivalent 2-20 µL micropipette
- MiniOne Micropipette 20-200 µL, adjustable volume or equivalent 20-200 µL micropipet
*Teachers, contact us for the password to the teacher’s guide.
Get the ultimate transformation experience with the M6302 package:
Already have a MiniOne PCR System, but need Winstons?
Let it Glow™ Bacterial Transformation MiniLab and 3 The Winston™ Fluorescence Readers (M6301)
