Plant Transformation Vector - Plasmid Selection

Plasmid Selection

When the bacteria with the desired, implanted gene are grown, they are made containing a selector. A selector is a way to isolate and distinguish the desired cells. A gene that makes the cells resistant to an antibiotic such as the antibiotics kanamycin, ampicillin, spectinomycin or tetracyclin, is an easy selector to use. The desired cells (along with any other organisms growing within the culture) can be treated with an antibiotic, allowing the desired cells to survive while other organisms cannot. The antibiotic gene is not usually transferred to the plant cell but remains within the bacterial cell.