Designing a Gateway Cloning Lab Showcasing the Pigment from Chromobacterium violaceum for Molecular Biology Lab Classes

Abstract

Laboratory courses are an integral part of a science based education at any university, and it is important to ensure that the concepts students learn in these laboratory classes are modern and scientifically relevant. For this reason, laboratory modules are periodically modified to keep their learning concepts in line with the curriculum being taught in the accompanying lecture classes. In this case, a cloning module in the molecular biology lab class will be modified to utilize Gateway cloning in the place of Gibson Assembly cloning. The new protocol will involve extracting genomic DNA from the bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum, cloning the violacein operon using polymerase chain reaction, and placing the cloned operon into E. coli using Gateway cloning methods. The final product produces E. coli cells that express the entire five gene violacein pathway, and as a result produce the violet pigment that is characteristic of Chromobacterium violaceum. This type of modification to the current molecular biology lab curriculum will result in students who graduate with a deeper knowledge about current laboratory techniques, which will help them to achieve a more successful career in science.