Homework — Bio Production
Warning
Part A is based on lecture prompts (Mandatory for Committed Listeners).
Part B is based on the Bio Production Lab (Mandatory for Committed Listeners and MIT/Harvard students).
Part A — Lecture Questions
- Assume that all of the molecular biology work you’d like to do could be automated. What new biological questions would you ask, or what new types of products would you make?
- If you could make metric tons of any protein, what would you make and what positive impact could you have?
Part B — Lab‑Linked Questions
Key Link:
Key Papers:
- Gene expression pattern analysis of an E. coli strain with high growth and lycopene production capability (fructose carbon source)
- Improvement of biomass yield and recombinant gene expression in E. coli by using fructose as the primary carbon source (1999)
Answer the following:
- Which genes, when transferred into E. coli, will induce production of lycopene and β‑carotene, respectively?
- Why must plasmids transferred into E. coli contain an antibiotic resistance marker for this workflow?
- What outcomes might we expect when we vary media, fructose, and temperature in the overnight cultures?
- Generally describe what OD600 measures and how it should be interpreted in this experiment.
- Identify other experimental setups where acetone could be used to separate cellular matter from a compound we intend to measure.
- Why engineer E. coli to produce lycopene and β‑carotene when Erwinia herbicola naturally produces them?
Learning Module — Exploring Carotenoid Bioproduction (optional but encouraged)
Use this space to begin thinking through DNA design related to carotenoid pathways (targets, operon structure, promoter choices, and measurement plan).