Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast
ABSTRACT Undergraduate students majoring in the life sciences benefit from experience with data analyses that connect mathematical calculations to the biological systems they are studying. Monitoring the optical density and cell number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae liquid cultures allows students to g...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Society for Microbiology
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00136-24 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846126662847037440 |
|---|---|
| author | Stacey O. Brito Wryn P. Rohan Isobel Buffum-Robbins Patricia Ruby Reyes Osorio Andrea Tribble Verónica A. Segarra |
| author_facet | Stacey O. Brito Wryn P. Rohan Isobel Buffum-Robbins Patricia Ruby Reyes Osorio Andrea Tribble Verónica A. Segarra |
| author_sort | Stacey O. Brito |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Undergraduate students majoring in the life sciences benefit from experience with data analyses that connect mathematical calculations to the biological systems they are studying. Monitoring the optical density and cell number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae liquid cultures allows students to gain quantitative experience generating standard curves and trendlines that capture the relationship between optical density and cell concentration for a given S. cerevisiae strain. Data comparisons across multiple strains can yield insights into the biophysical properties of cells that drive light absorbance and scattering. In this Tips and Tools article, we share a laboratory module that allows students to experience cell biology tools, laboratory measurements, and data analysis to determine the mathematical relationship between optical density and cell concentration in liquid microbial cultures. This module could be integrated into undergraduate classes ranging from general biology to upper-level cell biology or microbiology and can be a starting point for more complex investigations of microbial growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9ad95e771eea43d79c5f3e7774db2f1c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1935-7877 1935-7885 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-9ad95e771eea43d79c5f3e7774db2f1c2024-12-12T14:00:32ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education1935-78771935-78852024-12-0125310.1128/jmbe.00136-24Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeastStacey O. Brito0Wryn P. Rohan1Isobel Buffum-Robbins2Patricia Ruby Reyes Osorio3Andrea Tribble4Verónica A. Segarra5Department of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, USAABSTRACT Undergraduate students majoring in the life sciences benefit from experience with data analyses that connect mathematical calculations to the biological systems they are studying. Monitoring the optical density and cell number of Saccharomyces cerevisiae liquid cultures allows students to gain quantitative experience generating standard curves and trendlines that capture the relationship between optical density and cell concentration for a given S. cerevisiae strain. Data comparisons across multiple strains can yield insights into the biophysical properties of cells that drive light absorbance and scattering. In this Tips and Tools article, we share a laboratory module that allows students to experience cell biology tools, laboratory measurements, and data analysis to determine the mathematical relationship between optical density and cell concentration in liquid microbial cultures. This module could be integrated into undergraduate classes ranging from general biology to upper-level cell biology or microbiology and can be a starting point for more complex investigations of microbial growth.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00136-24Beer’s Lawbudding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeoptical densitycell concentrationcell size |
| spellingShingle | Stacey O. Brito Wryn P. Rohan Isobel Buffum-Robbins Patricia Ruby Reyes Osorio Andrea Tribble Verónica A. Segarra Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education Beer’s Law budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae optical density cell concentration cell size |
| title | Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast |
| title_full | Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast |
| title_fullStr | Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast |
| title_short | Applying Beer’s Law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory: examining the mathematical relationship between optical density, cell concentration, and cell size using budding yeast |
| title_sort | applying beer s law in the undergraduate cell biology laboratory examining the mathematical relationship between optical density cell concentration and cell size using budding yeast |
| topic | Beer’s Law budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae optical density cell concentration cell size |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00136-24 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT staceyobrito applyingbeerslawintheundergraduatecellbiologylaboratoryexaminingthemathematicalrelationshipbetweenopticaldensitycellconcentrationandcellsizeusingbuddingyeast AT wrynprohan applyingbeerslawintheundergraduatecellbiologylaboratoryexaminingthemathematicalrelationshipbetweenopticaldensitycellconcentrationandcellsizeusingbuddingyeast AT isobelbuffumrobbins applyingbeerslawintheundergraduatecellbiologylaboratoryexaminingthemathematicalrelationshipbetweenopticaldensitycellconcentrationandcellsizeusingbuddingyeast AT patriciarubyreyesosorio applyingbeerslawintheundergraduatecellbiologylaboratoryexaminingthemathematicalrelationshipbetweenopticaldensitycellconcentrationandcellsizeusingbuddingyeast AT andreatribble applyingbeerslawintheundergraduatecellbiologylaboratoryexaminingthemathematicalrelationshipbetweenopticaldensitycellconcentrationandcellsizeusingbuddingyeast AT veronicaasegarra applyingbeerslawintheundergraduatecellbiologylaboratoryexaminingthemathematicalrelationshipbetweenopticaldensitycellconcentrationandcellsizeusingbuddingyeast |