DNA Technology DNA electrophoresis We can use electricity

DNA Technology

DNA electrophoresis • We can use electricity to determine what kind of DNA sequence an individual has!

DNA electrophoresis • DNA has a NEGATIVE charge • Using a solid gel (and electricity) we can separate the DNA strands based on their size Negative end Bigger pieces of DNA Smaller pieces of DNA Positive end

How is all this relevant? • Paternity tests! • http: //www. sumanasinc. com/webcontent/animations/content/paterni tytesting. html

ec t sp Su DN A 3 2 1 ta m ro nf ke cri ce m es ne Who done it?

Drill question: What is gene therapy?

Paternity tests • DNA electrophoresis can be used to determine paternity • http: //www. sumanasinc. com/webcontent/ani mations/content/paternitytesting. html • http: //learn. genetics. utah. edu/content/labs/g el/

Cloning DNA • Cloning means making an exact copy • Can you think of an organism that is a single cell and multiples really quickly?

Cloning DNA using bacteria • Bacteria have one circular chromosome • We can take advantage of this! • Plasmid DNA

Plasmid DNA + gene Gene you are interested in + How might we cut open the plasmid to get the gene in? Plasmid DNA + gene Bacterial cell + your plasmid! Bacterial cell + What happens every time the bacterial cell divides and replicates its own DNA?

So how has cloning been used? • Transgenic crops (Genetically modified organisms GMOs) – Plants that have foreign DNA (genes) introduced into them – Used to increase survival rates • Introducing foreign DNA into animals (GFP) – Used in research

Transgenic crops

http: //cls. casa. colostate. edu/transgeniccrops/current. html

GFP Critters!

Green Fluorescent Protein • Found in one species of jelly fish (Aequorea victoria) • GFP started to be used in biology in the 1990 s • Nobel Prize in 2008! • Great website: http: //www. conncoll. edu/ccaca d/zimmer/GFP-ww/GFP-1. htm

So what can we use GFP for? • “Tag” specific cells and/or specific proteins we are interested in looking at

Gene therapy • Use genes to try to treat a disease – Protein function has somehow been changed – Gene therapy tries to fix that! • Still a very risky procedure!

What might be some problems? • Science • Ethics

Interesting Transgenic Animals!

Spider Goat • Spider silk – Stronger than steel! – Really flexible • Goats have spider silk gene inserted into their DNA • Silk is harvested from the goat’s _____

Super Muscle Trout • Fish have 20 -25% more muscle growth • Gene inserted that makes a protein that inhibits another protein that SLOWS muscle growth

Marathon Mouse • Scientists were interested in why some people are able to run marathons and some people are not