Dual Layer Assays

Watch out!!!

This protocol is über-rough; edit it with Eric before attempting!!!! As written, it is wrong!!!! Move materials descriptions to General Laboratory section of wiki

Protocal dual layer assay experiment:

Materials: 9 cm diameter Petri dishes Complete Transformation Medium (CTM) prepared from 3% Tryptic Soy Broth (Oxoid Ltd, England) and 0.1 % yeast extract (Melford laboratories Ltd, Ipswich, UK) at pH 7.8. Agar plates prepared from 3% Tryptic Soy Broth, 1.6% Agar and 0.1% solution of 5% antifoam. Soft agar prepared from 3% Tryptic Soy Broth, 0.8% Agar and 0.1% solution of 5% antifoam. When adding Catalase and/or live cells, always use soft agar at 45 degrees, not more than that. Catalase (33 000 u/ml -> might be wrong, exact instruction in the pack)

Aliquots: 200 microliters of cells at OD 0.3 and 50 microliters glycerol 80%

Day 1: Aliquots are inoculated in 3 ml CTM and then grown at 37 degrees Celsius and 5% CO2 until they reach OD 0.3. Dilute 10 times. Plate the potential killers using a pin replicator (approx 1 microliter of the potential killer strain.) Incubate Petri dishes for 1 hour (to make sure that potential killer mix on top of agar is dry). Add an overlay of 5 ml soft agar + 100 microliters of Catalase.

Day 2: Inoculate aliquots in 3 ml CTM and then grow at 37 degrees Celsius and 5% CO2 until they reach OD 0.3. Prepare the overlay: • 3 ml of soft agar at 45 degrees C • 30 microliters of cells at OD 0.3 (you can change the amount, depending on how dense you want the lawn of target strains, but always document it) • 100 microliters of Catalase Add the overlay on the Petri dishes. Incubate.

Day 3 Stain the plates with 15 ml of 2% solution of Methilane blue, two times + two washes. Leave to dry.

Day 4,5,6… Assess the interactions