1. Confirmation using microscope and fluorometer analysis that the pRS414 construct was not expressing CFP

{{:Team:Aberdeen_Scotland/css}}
{{:Team:Aberdeen_Scotland/Title}}
<html>

<h1>Confirmation using microscope and fluorometer analysis that pRS414 was not expressing CFP</h1>
<h3>Aim</h3>
<p>The aim of this experiment is to determine whether the pRS414 construct can express CFP in the presence of CuSO4.  The detection of CFP using the fluorometer and the microscope would confirm whether the construct as a whole was functional or not.</p>
<h3>Hypothesis</h3>
<p>The observed lack of CFP expression is due to experimental errors and in appropriate medium and the presence of proper inducing agent, the pRS414 construct will express CFP.</p>
<h3>Protocol</h3>
<p>The Cyan filters on the fluorometer were first checked to ensure that they could detect CFP.  Pacific blue beads (a fluorescent dye used by the FACS machine) has and excitation and emission profile similar to CFP and was therefore used as a control.  A range of concentration of Pacific Blue (diluted in PBS and also in SD medium) was loaded onto a 96 well microtitre plate and analysed using the fluoremeter.  The resulting reading (Fig.1) indicated that the filters in place were able to detect CFP.
<br>
<center>
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2010/d/d8/Table_for_Confirmation_that_PRS414_was_not_expressing_CFP_.png"/>
</center>
<br>
<p>In order to check whether pRS414 was expressing CFP, cultures of BY4741 containing pRS414 were prepared using the old/previously used medium inducer (concentration of 50 and 10microM copper were used) and also using freshly made medium and inducer stocks.  The cultures were incubated a 30degreesC and then samples were analysed using the fluorometer and a mircoscope equipped with CFP filters.</p>
<h3>Results</h3>
<center>
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2010/5/57/Table2_for_Confirmation_that_PRS414_was_not_expressing_CFP_.png"/>
</center>
<br>
<p>The fluorometer readings indicated a small increase in fluorescence in samples containing Cu2+.  However, the readings were still very close to the readings obtained for the background fluorescence of the yeast cells.
<br>
The microscope observations indicated that no CFP fluorescence was present in any of the samples prepared.</p>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>We conclude from these results that the lack of CFP expression is not due to experimental error and that the fault must lie with one or several of the components making up the pRS414 construct.</p>
</html>
<br>
<b>[[https://2010.igem.org/Experimental_Layout Return to Troubleshooting pRS414 Main page]]</b><br>
<b>[[https://2010.igem.org/Team:Aberdeen_Scotland/Results Return to Results Main page]]</b>