I transformed E.coli (DH5α) cells with a plasmid bearing streptomycin resistance. But, I had wrongly plated them onto a LB+Kan plate. Surprisingly, some colonies grew. It is highly possible that they are not the desired ones. However, on growing and inducing them, I realized that they somehow have produced a protein of the same size as my target protein. It still may be a co-incidence. Before I abandon this batch, I was just curious about the wrong selection in the first place.
I think you some of the cells in your plate (when you plated on LB with kanamycin) might have undergone a kind of mutation during the process (though rare) , which is now providing them with the capability to produce an alternate target protein ( an exact mimic of your target molecule without any key role in metabolism however can act as a substitute) so that the key protein which you are targeting is spared and the organism get going.
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