Team:University College London/LabBook/Week7

Step 1 – Creating culture media: In a sterile environment, set up X numbers of falcons, each with 5mls of media.

Step 2 - Inoculating Colonies into a Selective Broth:: Add Yul of antibiotic to reach desired antibiotic concentration.

(For Ampicillin this is 50ug/ml, For Kanamycin it is 25ug/ml, for Tetracycline it is 15ug/ml, and for Chloramphenicol it is 25ug/ml)

Step 4 – Selecting a Colony: Select a clear, isolated colony and using an inoculation hoop scoop up a colony onto the tip. Deposit in the falcon tube

Step 5 - Culture: Culture your falcon tubes overnight at a temperature of 37 oC. Leave for no longer than 16 hours.

Step 1 - Pellet Cells: Pellet 1-5ml bacterial overnight culture by centrifugation at >8000rpm (68800 x g) for 3 min at room temperature (15-25oC)

Step 2 - Resuspend Cells: Resuspend pelleted bacterial cells in 250ul Buffer P1 and transfer to a microcentrifuge tube

Step 3 - Puncturing Cell Membrane: Add 250ul Buffer P2 and mix thoroughly by inverting the tube 4-6 times until the solution becomes clear. Do not allow the lysis reaction to proceed for more than 5 min.

Step 4 - Neutralising buffer P2: Add 350ul Buffer N3 and mix immediately and thoroughly by inverting the tube 4-6 times.

Step 5 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 13000

Time:10 minutes

Temperature: 18oC

Step 6 - Centrifuge: Apply the supernatant from step 5 to the QIAprep spin column by decanting or pipetting. Centrifuge for 30-60s and discard the flow-through.

Step 7 - Remove Endonucleases from Sample: Wash the QIAprep spin column by adding 500ul of Buffer PB. Centrifuge for 30-60s and discard flow-through.

Step 8 - Remove salts from sample: Wash the QIAprep spin column by adding 750ul of Buffer PE. Centrifuge for 3-60s and discard flow through.

Step 9 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 13000

Time:1 minute

Temperature: 18oC

Step 10 - Elute DNA: Place the QIAprep column in a clean 1.5ml microcentrifuge tube. To elute DNA, add 50ul Buffer EB to the centre of the spin column, let it stand for 1 min, and centrifuge for 1 min.

Step 1 - Thawing cells: Thaw all materials on ice

Step 2 - Adding Ingredient: Add the following ingredients to autoclaved/sterile eppendorf tubes

Component	Amount (ul) (one enzyme used)	Amount (ul) (two enzymes used)
dH20	2.5	1.5
Buffer 1x	1	1
DNA template	5	5
BSA	0.5	0.5
Enzyme 1	1	2
Enzyme 2	N/A	1

Step 3 - Addition of BioBrick: Flick contents gently and centrifuge.

Step 4 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 14000

Time: 1 minute

Temperature: 18oC

Step 5 - Digest Program: Place the samples on a thermocycler under the following conditions:

RPM: 550

Time: 2.5 hours

Temperature: 37oC

Step 6 - Denaturing Enzymes: If you are not running the samples on a gel immediately, denature the restriction enzymes by running the samples on a thermocycler under the following conditions:

RPM: 550

Time: 25 minutes

Temperature: 65oC

Software ND-1000 Model:

Step 1: Initialise the spectrophotometer by pipetting 1 µ of clean water onto lower optic surface, lowering the lever arm and selecting ‘initialise’ in the ND-1000 software

Step 2: Wipe and add elution buffer as negative control. Click blank in ND-1000 software

Step 3: Wipe and add 1 µl sample

Step 4: On the software set lambda to 260nm

Step 5: Lower the lever arm and click measure in ND-1000 software

Step 6: Take readings for concentration and purity

Step 7: Once measurement complete, wipe surface

Step 1 - Thawing Cells: Thaw competent cells on ice.

Step 2 - Adding cells: Add 50 µL of thawed competent cells into pre-chilled 2ml tube.

Step 3 - Addition of BioBrick: Add 1 - 2 µL of the resuspended DNA to the 2ml tube. Pipette up and down a few times, gently. Make sure to keep the competent cells on ice.

Step 4 - Incubation: Close tube and incubate the cells on ice for 30 minutes.

Step 5 - Heat Shock: Heat shock the cells by immersion in a pre-heated water bath at 42ºC for 60 seconds.

Step 6 - Incubation: Incubate the cells on ice for 5 minutes.

Step 7 - Add media: Add 200 μl of SOC media or LB broth

Step 8 - Incubation: Incubate the cells at 37ºC for 2 hours while the tubes are rotating or shaking. 

Step 9 - Label plates: Label two petri dishes with LB agar and the appropriate antibiotic(s) with the part number, plasmid backbone, and antibiotic resistance. Plate 20 µl and 200 µl of the transformation onto the dishes, and spread. This helps ensure that you will be able to pick out a single colony.

Step 10 - Culture:Incubate the plate at 37ºC for 12-14 hours, making sure the agar side of the plate is up. If incubated for too long the antibiotics start to break down and un-transformed cells will begin to grow. This is especially true for ampicillin - because the resistance enzyme is excreted by the bacteria, and inactivates the antibiotic outside of the bacteria.

Step 11 - Colony Picking: You can pick a single colony, make a glycerol stock, grow up a cell culture and miniprep.

Step 1 - Thawing cells: Thaw all materials on ice

Step 2 - Adding Ingredient: Add the following ingredients to autoclaved/sterile eppendorf tubes

Component	Amount (ul) (one enzyme used)	Amount (ul) (two enzymes used)
dH20	2.5	1.5
Buffer 1x	1	1
DNA template	5	5
BSA	0.5	0.5
Enzyme 1	1	2
Enzyme 2	N/A	1

Step 3 - Addition of BioBrick: Flick contents gently and centrifuge.

Step 4 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 14000

Time: 1 minute

Temperature: 18oC

Step 5 - Digest Program: Place the samples on a thermocycler under the following conditions:

RPM: 550

Time: 2.5 hours

Temperature: 37oC

Step 6 - Denaturing Enzymes: If you are not running the samples on a gel immediately, denature the restriction enzymes by running the samples on a thermocycler under the following conditions:

RPM: 550

Time: 25 minutes

Temperature: 65oC

Preparing the Gel

Step 1: Within a conical flask, add 3ml 50X TAE, 1.5g Agarose, and 150ml RO water

Step 2: Heat for 1 min in microwave. Swirl. Heat again for 30s. If solution is clear stop. Else repeat.

Step 3: Cool solution under running cold water.

Step 4: Add 20ul ethidium bromide (normal concentration of EB solution is 500ug/ul)

Step 5: Pour into a sealed casting tray in a slow steady stream, ensuring there are no bubbles

Running a gel

Step 6: Add 1 part loading buffer to five parts of loading sample

Step 7: Position the gel in the tank and add TAE buffer, enough to cover the gel by several mm

Step 8: Add 5ul of DNA ladder to lane 1

Step 9: Add samples to the remaining wells

Step 10: Run at 100 volts for 1hour and 15 minutes

Imaging the Gel

Step 11: Place gel in GelDoc 2000 chamber

Step 12: Turn GelDoc 2000 chamber on 

Step 13: From computer: Quantity One > Scanner > Gel_Doc_Xr>Manuqal Acquire

Step 14: Alter the exposure/settings to give a clear image.

TAE - Tris-acetate-EDTA

EDTA - ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid

Step 1 – Creating culture media: In a sterile environment, set up X numbers of falcons, each with 5mls of media.

Step 2 - Inoculating Colonies into a Selective Broth:: Add Yul of antibiotic to reach desired antibiotic concentration.

(For Ampicillin this is 50ug/ml, For Kanamycin it is 25ug/ml, for Tetracycline it is 15ug/ml, and for Chloramphenicol it is 25ug/ml)

Step 4 – Selecting a Colony: Select a clear, isolated colony and using an inoculation hoop scoop up a colony onto the tip. Deposit in the falcon tube

Step 5 - Culture: Culture your falcon tubes overnight at a temperature of 37 oC. Leave for no longer than 16 hours.

Step 1 - Pellet Cells: Pellet 1-5ml bacterial overnight culture by centrifugation at >8000rpm (68800 x g) for 3 min at room temperature (15-25oC)

Step 2 - Resuspend Cells: Resuspend pelleted bacterial cells in 250ul Buffer P1 and transfer to a microcentrifuge tube

Step 3 - Puncturing Cell Membrane: Add 250ul Buffer P2 and mix thoroughly by inverting the tube 4-6 times until the solution becomes clear. Do not allow the lysis reaction to proceed for more than 5 min.

Step 4 - Neutralising buffer P2: Add 350ul Buffer N3 and mix immediately and thoroughly by inverting the tube 4-6 times.

Step 5 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 13000

Time:10 minutes

Temperature: 18oC

Step 6 - Centrifuge: Apply the supernatant from step 5 to the QIAprep spin column by decanting or pipetting. Centrifuge for 30-60s and discard the flow-through.

Step 7 - Remove Endonucleases from Sample: Wash the QIAprep spin column by adding 500ul of Buffer PB. Centrifuge for 30-60s and discard flow-through.

Step 8 - Remove salts from sample: Wash the QIAprep spin column by adding 750ul of Buffer PE. Centrifuge for 3-60s and discard flow through.

Step 9 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 13000

Time:1 minute

Temperature: 18oC

Step 10 - Elute DNA: Place the QIAprep column in a clean 1.5ml microcentrifuge tube. To elute DNA, add 50ul Buffer EB to the centre of the spin column, let it stand for 1 min, and centrifuge for 1 min.

Step 1 - Thawing cells: Thaw all materials on ice

Step 2 - Adding Ingredient: Add the following ingredients to autoclaved/sterile eppendorf tubes

Component	Amount (ul) (one enzyme used)	Amount (ul) (two enzymes used)
dH20	2.5	1.5
Buffer 1x	1	1
DNA template	5	5
BSA	0.5	0.5
Enzyme 1	1	2
Enzyme 2	N/A	1

Step 3 - Addition of BioBrick: Flick contents gently and centrifuge.

Step 4 - Centrifuge:

RPM: 14000

Time: 1 minute

Temperature: 18oC

Step 5 - Digest Program: Place the samples on a thermocycler under the following conditions:

RPM: 550

Time: 2.5 hours

Temperature: 37oC

Step 6 - Denaturing Enzymes: If you are not running the samples on a gel immediately, denature the restriction enzymes by running the samples on a thermocycler under the following conditions:

RPM: 550

Time: 25 minutes

Temperature: 65oC

Preparing the Gel

Step 1: Within a conical flask, add 3ml 50X TAE, 1.5g Agarose, and 150ml RO water

Step 2: Heat for 1 min in microwave. Swirl. Heat again for 30s. If solution is clear stop. Else repeat.

Step 3: Cool solution under running cold water.

Step 4: Add 20ul ethidium bromide (normal concentration of EB solution is 500ug/ul)

Step 5: Pour into a sealed casting tray in a slow steady stream, ensuring there are no bubbles

Running a gel

Step 6: Add 1 part loading buffer to five parts of loading sample

Step 7: Position the gel in the tank and add TAE buffer, enough to cover the gel by several mm

Step 8: Add 5ul of DNA ladder to lane 1

Step 9: Add samples to the remaining wells

Step 10: Run at 100 volts for 1hour and 15 minutes

Imaging the Gel

Step 11: Place gel in GelDoc 2000 chamber

Step 12: Turn GelDoc 2000 chamber on 

Step 13: From computer: Quantity One > Scanner > Gel_Doc_Xr>Manuqal Acquire

Step 14: Alter the exposure/settings to give a clear image.

TAE - Tris-acetate-EDTA

EDTA - ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid

Software ND-1000 Model:

Step 1: Initialise the spectrophotometer by pipetting 1 µ of clean water onto lower optic surface, lowering the lever arm and selecting ‘initialise’ in the ND-1000 software

Step 2: Wipe and add elution buffer as negative control. Click blank in ND-1000 software

Step 3: Wipe and add 1 µl sample

Step 4: On the software set lambda to 260nm

Step 5: Lower the lever arm and click measure in ND-1000 software

Step 6: Take readings for concentration and purity

Step 7: Once measurement complete, wipe surface

Step 1 - Addition of BioBrick: To the still frozen competent cells, add 1 - 5 µL of the resuspended DNA to the 2ml tube.

Step 4 - Incubation: Close tube and incubate the cells on ice for 45 minutes.

Step 5 - Heat Shock: Heat shock the cells by immersion in a pre-heated water bath at 37ºC for 10 minutes.

Step 6 - Incubation: Incubate the cells on ice for 2 minutes.

Step 7 - Add media: Add 1.5ml of Lysogeny Broth and transfer to a falcon tube.

Step 8 - Incubation: Incubate the cells at 37ºC for 1 hour at RPM 550. 

Step 9 - Transfer: transfer the solution back into a 1.5ml Eppendorf and centrifuge

RPM: 14000

Time: 2 minutes

Temperature (18-25oC)

Step 10 - Resuspend:Remove supernatant and resuspend in 100ul LB

Step 11 - Plating: Spread the resuspended cell solution onto a selective nutrient agar plate. Place the plates in a 37°C static incubator, leave overnight (alternatively a 30°C static incubator over the weekend)