Western blotting trouble shooting thread

misskool

talksalot81 wrote:

I assume we have several biologists/biochemists in here... maybe you might help.

I have transformed a plasmid using E. Coli. Now I strongly believed (as I THINK did my currently absent supervisor) that one would say 'plasmid was transformed INTO E.Coli' but I have a ref report telling me it is 'plasmid transformed IN E.Coli'. So which is it, IN or INTO?

Thanks!

It would be the same thing.

A plasmid is a piece of circular DNA that doesn't integrate into the chromosome but replicates when the chromosomal DNA replicates. So if you transformed a plasmid it would be free floating in the bacterial cytoplasm along with its chromosome.

If I'm writing a report, I would write "into"
"in" suggests integration into the chromosome.

RoCas

misskool wrote:

No eastern blotting

but there is northern blotting, southern blotting, southwest blotting

Ahhh, that explains it all :-)

misskool

RoCas wrote:

Ahhh, that explains it all :-)

:rotfl:
sorry, I'm terrible. I just think that people would know. Geek that I am

Molecular Biology link

talksalot81

misskool wrote:

It would be the same thing.

A plasmid is a piece of circular DNA that doesn't integrate into the chromosome but replicates when the chromosomal DNA replicates. So if you transformed a plasmid it would be free floating in the bacterial cytoplasm along with its chromosome.

If I'm writing a report, I would write "into"
"in" suggests integration into the chromosome.

Super thanks! This is one of the troubles about interdisciplinary... even relatively experienced academics can mix up the little things! I certainly would have thought it as being 'into' because strictly speaking the plasmid is not transformed in the E.Coli, it is replicated (that is right isnt it!?). You transform the plasmid INTO to bacteria so it can subsequently replicate it...?

Thanks!

point3

misskool wrote:

It would be the same thing.

If I'm writing a report, I would write "into"
"in" suggests integration into the chromosome.

I would have to disagree...just for the sake of an argument .

In English, if something is "transformed into" something else, it means it "becomes" that thing. To say that the plasmid BECOMES E.Coli is clearly a nonsense!!

Students, eh? :rolleyes:

misskool

talksalot81 wrote:

You transform the plasmid INTO to bacteria so it can subsequently replicate it...?

Yes. That's why you would do it.

misskool

point3 wrote:

I would have to disagree...just for the sake of an argument .

In English, if something is "transformed into" something else, it means it "becomes" that thing. To say that the plasmid BECOMES E.Coli is clearly a nonsense!!

Students, eh? :rolleyes:

Somehow, i always find that English grammar gets the short shrift in science.

Or maybe, scientists are lazy?

talksalot81

Or maybe non-scientists fail to read the proper definition of terms!

point3

talksalot81 wrote:

Or maybe non-scientists fail to read the proper definition of terms!

Lol, I AM a scientist (who also happens to have an English 'A' level).

talksalot81

Well then you are just an arguementative sod arent you!