Scientists are developing bacteria that can make a human protein. The plasmids used contain the gene for the human protein and a marker gene for resistance to antibiotic K.
A technician tests two bacterial cultures. Equal-sized samples of each culture are spread on agar with and without antibiotic K.
| Bacterial culture | Number of colonies on agar without antibiotic K | Number of colonies on agar containing antibiotic K |
|---|---|---|
| J | 42 | 0 |
| L | 47 | 6 |
State which bacterial culture contains bacteria that have taken up the plasmid.
Explain how the results show that antibiotic K selected bacteria carrying the plasmid.
127 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Biology 6.2 Feeding the human race, covering 6.2.1 Biological factors affecting food security, 6.2.2 Agricultural solutions to growing demand, 6.2.3 Selective breeding, 6.2.4 Genetic engineering, 6.2.5 Steps in genetic engineering, 6.2.6 Benefits and risks of gene technology in agriculture, and 6.2.7 Biotechnological solutions to growing demand. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.