Part A

Assume that all of the molecular biology work you'd like to do could be automated, what sort of new biological questions would you ask, or what new types of products would you make?

I would like to aumatate the production whole molecular biology proccess startig from DNA extraction, ois should be possible to have all the steps of DNA extraction optimized and automated with all the reagents loaded onto a robot to succesfully extract DNA. Then I would like to automate the production snake venom neutralizing peptides targeting the african snakes of medical importance. After targetting and gettign the sequences for the neutralizing peptides that target the snake venom, the continous prodcution should be automated to as to keep producing the prptides steadily.

If you could make metric tons of any protein, what would you make and what positive impact could you have?

given the devastating effects of snake venom across the world, killing over 100,000 people and causing permanent disbality to many more, if I could male tins of proteins, I would quicly make the snake venom neutralizing proteins and will save those lives and prevent those disabilities. I would design, build and test the effectivenes of those proteins in neutralizing the effects of the venom and once the efficaicy is established, I would then formulate in in various forms to enable usefulness. Given the nature of the people most affectened by snake bites being the poorest of the poorest, and in rural areas, there need for a diferent approach. My suggetion will be to produce those proteins in the lab, then fins a way of makeing the administration method to be oral either as a tabled or a drink. This is to make sure it can be administered easily without much complications nand can be lept at home as a first aid mechanism fo snake bite.

Part B

1. Which genes when transferred into E. coli will induce the production of lycopene and beta-carotene, respectively?

Lycopene: The genes CrtE, CrtI, and CrtB (from Erwinia herbicola) encoded in the pAC-LYC plasmid.
Beta-carotene: In addition to the above three, the CrtY gene (also from Erwinia herbicola) encoded in the pAC-BETA plasmid.

2. **Why do the plasmids that are transferred into the E. coli need to contain an antibiotic resistance gene?**

Plasmids include an antibiotic resistance gene (chloramphenicol resistance) to:

Select for successfully transformed cells: Only E. coli that have taken up the plasmid will grow on media containing the antibiotic.
Ensure plasmid retention during cell growth, maintaining selective pressure.

3. What outcomes might we expect to see when we vary the media, presence of fructose, and temperature conditions of the overnight cultures?

Media composition (e.g., LB vs. 2YT): Richer media like 2YT may promote faster growth and higher pigment production.
Fructose presence: Previous studies indicate that fructose enhances both growth and recombinant pigment expression in E. coli.
Temperature variation (30°C vs. 37°C): Enzyme activity and metabolic rates differ with temperature; some conditions might favor pigment biosynthesis over biomass growth.

4. Generally describe what “OD600” measures and how it can be interpreted in this experiment.