Scientists..?

Question

how do scientists take advantage of antibiotic resistance genes?

Answer 1

Hi,
We use them to help to get genes into bacteria...

We take a gene that we need to be expressed (like to make something), which we cut out of the DNA of an organism. AN example is the gene for insulin - this is how we produce insulin for diabetics...

Once we cut out the gene that we want, we 'paste' it into a special ring of DNA called a plasmid. This ring of DNA will carry at least two special features.

1. Antibiotic resistance gene.
2. A special sequence that allows us to turn 'on' the gene that we are putting in.

Next we punch holes in the bacterial cell walls of the bacteria that we will use as a 'host' for the plasmid.

Then we put the bacteria into a solution with the plasmids. We use techniques to create a draft that will pull some of the plasmids into some of the bacteria.

Now we put the bacteria in a nutrient rich environment, and add the antibiotic for the resistant gene that we added.

Now only the bacteria that got the plasmids will be able to grow.

We can now collect the bacteria with the plasmids, and get them to produce the protein (in our example - insulin).

Answer 2

If you are splicing a new gene into the genome of a cell line, you also splice an antibiotic resistant gene in with the primary gene you initially wanted to splice in. The antibiotic resistant gene comes in when you want to see which cells actually got the genes spliced in and which ones didn't. To select, you give the antibiotic and only the cells with you new transfected gene along with the resistant gene will survive. So then you have a colony of cells where all the cells have your newly introduced (transfected) gene in it.