Looking for low copy number plasmids

Overview and Approach

Our team faced several problems in finding different copy number plasmids in the list of iGEM standard backbones available in the registry. At the beginning we used pS1K3 and pSB6A3, and by our surprise the obtained concentrations were similar in both cases. This was the main reason why we decided to compare the copy number of the different plasmids by growing 10 mL E. coli in LB medium at an Optical Density (OD) of 0.6, minipreping it and determine its optical density, as well as, running the samples in an agarose gel. All these was done in triplicates, except for the high copy number plasmid pSB1K3 that was only preformed twice.

Results