PURPOSE:
The purpose of this lab was to see if we had the Alu sequence in our DNA. We did this lab to explore and find the amount of people who have the Alu insert in our class.
HYPOTHESIS:
When we do the lab there should be three possible outcomes, and that not everyone will have the same results. They will not have the same results because not all genes are the same and there are many different people in our class.
MATERIALS:
- Student cheek cells
- 0.9% saline solution
- 5% chelex
- Primer mix
- Master mix
- TBE buffer
- Agarose gel
- DNA stain
- Positive control DNA
- Base pair ladder
PROCEDURE:
In this lab we rinsed our mouths with saline solution to extract our cheek cells. The cells are then added to a solution of Chelex to remove any metal ions. The sample is then boiled to break open the cells. The DNA will then be in single strand form, it is then centrifuged to collect the Chelex. An aliquot of the supernatant containing released DNA is used for PCR.
RESULTS:
I did not have the Alu segment in my DNA, making me homozygous. In my group we had a split of two people with the Alu segment and two people without it .
Conclusion:
This lab was very interesting and taught me many bio/biotech skills that if I were to pursue a career in this would be very useful. We learned how to micropipet and other lab equipment. These skills will definitely be useful in future lab work that we do in this class. The lab really helped get me familiar with all of that equipment and tools in the lab and was definitely beneficial to me learning how do conduct a lab in a somewhat real life way that I have not done before.