Plasmid Loss
After observing both the high copy and low copy plasmid number, the OD600 data that represents plasmid presence have been recorded over the course of 72 hours. The high copy number plasmid under observation is PXP218 and the low copy number plasmid is PRS315.
High copy number observation: As a general trend, the -ve control No Plasmid cells consistently maintained a higher growth rate compared to the transformed counterparts. This proves that addition of plasmid adds metabolic load that impedes cell growth. However, this addition of metabolic load has been observed to not be significant enough in that transformed cells could grow normally.
Low copy number observation: Throughout the 72-hour period, cells with PRS315 plasmids have an overall lower growth rate than No Plasmid cells. Since this result is to be expected and the slower growth rate is within acceptable values, it can be concluded that PSR315 plasmid will not be detrimental to the cell’s metabolic functions. Furthermore, the above graph shows plasmid with active promoters have similar growth curves compared to plasmid without promotes. This observation is sufficient proof that PRS315 plasmids can express genes while maintaining normal growth curves.