BioTech Lab Entry 8
Introduction We have tested the UV resistance in Deinococcus xinjiangensis twice before this week. In the most recent iteration of the experiment, the dilution factor of the non-irradiated bacteria (our controls) was higher than it was for the bacteria exposed to UV. This week, we repeated the UV test while correctin this error and lowering the exposure amounts for the bacteria. The enzyme urease catabolizes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. The presence of this enzyme in a given bacteria strain can be tested for. According to the paper in which D. xinjiangensis was first described, D. xinjiangensis is urease positive (Peng et al. 2009). However, when we repeated the experiment, we found D. xinjiangensis to be urease negative. We repeated the experiment this week to clarify our results. D. sonorensis is an unusual member of the genus Deinococcus . One strange feature of this bacter...