Hands-on Molecular Biology Research in the Undergraduate Curriculum
Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2012, Volume 33
Immo A. Hansen, Angus L. Dawe, & C. Donovan Bailey
Abstract
In conjunction with an HHMI funded Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, we developed an intensive molecular biology research lab designed to introduce students to lab standards, widely used molecular biology techniques, and bioinformatics analyses within the context of two seven week experiments. The biodiversity component of the course involved the design of 18S rDNA specific PCR primers and the extraction of microbial DNA from environmental samples (e.g., river sludge, soil samples, and animal stool samples). Students then used PCR to amplify the diversity of 18S sequences present in their environmental extract and applied ligation, bacterial transformation, DNA sequencing, and phylogenetics to place sequences recovered from the experiment in the context of the tree-of-life. The second half of the course involved a reverse genetics experiment where students identified genes of interest in the published genome sequence of the Northern House Mosquito and subsequently cloned partial cDNAs of these genes. The students then used RNAi-mediated gene silencing to study the function of these proteins in a mosquito bioassay. Student activities also involved developing and presenting short lectures on various molecular biology techniques. These experiences provide undergraduate scholars with hands-on knowledge in experimental design, data gathering and documentation, and data analysis.
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