Biotechnology Experiments

Biotechnology

Directions: Click on the”Experiment Title” link to the lab that you wish to preview. The webpage provides a description of the experiment with correlations to state and national science standards. After you submit a SIM request to borrow equipment or obtain the services of the Mobile Educator, then you will be emailed both the student and teacher versions of the experiment in Word format. You may edit the lab to meet your specific needs and make copies for use with your classes.

Forensics with Vernier Lab Manual Experiments

EmbiTec MiniOne Labs: Electrophoresis and PCR

M3004 DNA Fingerprinting

Students gain the complete hands-on experience of pouring, loading, and running a gel while diving into real-world genetics and conservation biology. Students learn how DNA banding patterns can reveal the history and heritage of an individual, whether whale or human, while observing DNA separation in real time.

• Develop an understanding of gel electrophoresis and its principles
• Analyze results and deduce a probable outcome by using molecular tools, such as restriction enzymes
• Students cast, load, and run their own agarose gels and watch DNA band separation in real time
• Mammals inherit half their genome from their mother and half from their father- students use this fact to trace the parentage of a baby whale
• Large numbers of bands present a challenge for visual pattern recognition – learn how a qualitative result can be made exact through precise and logical analysis

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/M3004-DNA-Fingerprinting-Students-Guide020718.pdfPDF

M3005 CSI Forensic Science

Ideal for 9-12th grade Biology and Forensic Science students, this MiniLab contains materials for 10 groups (30-40 students). Using the MiniOne System and this CSI Forensics MiniLab, students get a chance to be crime scene investigators in the classroom.

• Students cast, load, and run agarose gels using DNA from a crime scene, victim, and three suspects
• Logically integrate multiple lines of evidence, including fingerprints, hair samples, and DNA profiling to connect an individual with a crime scene
• Understand the statistical principles of human identification using DNA

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/M3005-CSI-Forensics-Students-Guide-v.062118-WEB.pdf

M3009 Candy Color Electrophoresis

You spy a candy dish at a friend’s home and you just have to taste that yummy-looking yellow one.  You love lemon! You pop it in your mouth. Oh! No! You hate banana. You can only imagine what weird flavors those other colors may be!

What flavor do you imagine when you think of red? Cherry or apple? What about yellow, green, blue, brown, purple? The color of a piece of food is one of the first things we notice about it, and can make an impact on whether we want it or not. Color masters spend hours formulating the food dye to create the correct color for your food for this very reason!

In this lab, students will explore the phenomenon of candy colors. They will learn how molecular size and electrical charge affect a molecule’s migration, and using their understanding of colors, predict what happens when you use electrophoresis to separate colors from various hard-shell candies. Debate the pros and cons of natural and synthetic food dyes, and explore the colorful history behind food dyes and their regulations! Bring in some candies to test as an inquiry extension! Appropriate for middle school and beginning high school students (grades 4-10).

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/M3009-Candy-Color-Electrophoresis-StudentsGuide-041019-WEB-EMAIL.pdfPDF

M3011 Determining the Genetics of a Cash Cow

Using an understanding behind cheese production, genetic inheritance, and gel electrophoresis, students will determine genotype of 2 bulls and 3 cows, and decide which combination a dairy farmer should purchase to produce more valuable offspring.

This lab allows life science, genetics, and agriculture students to:

• Gain an understanding of how various casein proteins in milk affect the quality and quantity of cheese produced
• Understand the basic structure of DNA and its role in genetic inheritance
• Learn how selective breeding programs work to increase/decrease the frequency of particular alleles
• Comprehend how traits are passed from parent to offspring
• Learn about the existence of genetic polymorphisms
• Cast, load, and run dye samples to connect genotype to phenotype
• Use gel electrophoresis to determine the ideal pairing of bull and cow to produce the highest quality and quantity of cheese

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/M3011-DeterminingtheGeneticsofaCaShCow-Students-Guide-081519-EMAIL-WEB.pdf

M3050 Sickle Cell Inheritance

Sickle Cell disease is a red blood cell disorder, inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.

Parents of sickle cell offspring who themselves are not affected by this condition have one copy each of the mutated gene and are considered carriers. Sickle cell patients have inherited the mutated gene from both their mother and father, resulting in 2 copies of the mutation, which leads to having sickle cell disease.

The reagents in this Sickle Cell Inheritance Reagent Pack allow students in a biomedical science program to pour, load, and run a gel on the MiniOne Electrophoresis System, watch DNA separate in real time, and then analyze the results to determine whether various members of one family have sickle cell disease, are carriers, or are unaffected.

This protocol provides teachers the chance to complement existing biomedical science curriculum, and offers a wet lab experience for those currently using a paper activity to teach sickle cell inheritance.

The entire lab can be completed in the span of a single classroom period, and helps teach concepts inheritance, genetics, physiology, and human medicine.

Ideal for high school students, especially those in a biomedical science program.

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/M3050-Sickle-Cell-MiniLab-Student-Guide-01012023.pdf

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/M6001-M6002-PCR-101-Students-Guide-020718.pdf

M6012 A Taste of Genetics

Teaching AP Biology? A Taste of Genetics MiniLab and extension activities are three Big Ideas in one comprehensive package. Together, these labs are an in-depth exploration of the TAS2R38 gene, covering hands-on genetic analysis, bioinformatics, population genetics, and evolution.

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at  http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/M6010-ATasteofGenetics-StudentsGuide-SL-020520-EMAIL-WEB-1.pdf

M6050 Restriction Digest Basics

If you needed a short piece of string but all you had was a long one, what would you do? You would probably grab a pair of scissors and cut it to the length you needed. In a somewhat similar fashion, cells have mechanisms for cutting long strands of nucleic acid into shorter strands- a type of molecular scissors. There are several reasons why cells need to cut their DNA or RNA. In this lab students will explore what restriction enzymes do and determine electrophoresis fragment sizes by comparing bands to the molecular weight standards.

• Teacher and student guides with background information, step-by-step procedures, questions for critical thinking, student worksheets for analysis, and sample answers for teachers
• Hands-on lab that can be completed in one 50-minute class period

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/M6050-Restriction-Digest-Basics-Students-Guide-090718-WEB.pdf

M6053 Restriction Analysis of DNA

Molecular mechanisms for cutting DNA or RNA can help a cell ensure its safety and future, whether it’s for genetic recombination or in the case of bacteria, using restriction enzymes as a defense mechanism, slicing apart the DNA of a foreign invader. These molecular scissors also allow researchers to study smaller pieces of DNA more thoroughly by being able to cut specific pieces of DNA, or understanding how DNA is organized based on cut sites. In this restriction digestion lab, students will explore what restriction enzymes do, perform single and double digests of DNA, predict fragment sizes and compare to fragment size of the actual digested DNA run on an agarose gel, and use pre-digested DNA controls. Appropriate for AP, honors and advanced biology students, grades 9-12.

Download the complete Student Guide for this experiment at
http://theminione.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/M6053-Restriction-Analysis-of-DNA-StudentsGuide.pdf

Bio-Rad pGLO™ Bacterial Transformation Kit

Genetic engineering is the process of manipulating the genetic material of an organism — often to include the DNA from a foreign organism. Using the pGLO™ Bacterial Transformation Kit, students transform bacteria by introducing a gene from the bioluminescent jellyfish Aequorea victoria. The same procedure has been used to create “designer proteins” which have led to the explosion of new health treatments, agricultural applications, and environmental solutions.

Features and Benefits

• Aligns with AP Biology Lab 8
• Transforms bacteria with a jellyfish gene
• Turns the gene on and off for the study of gene regulation

Background Information

Bio-Rad’s exclusive pGLO plasmid is constructed with the jellyfish gene that encodes green fluorescent protein (GFP), an antibiotic-resistance gene that encodes β-lactamase protein, and the araC gene encoding a regulator protein that turns the GFP gene on and off. Bacteria transformed with pGLO plasmid are selected by ampicillin resistance; when induced to express GFP, the bugs glow fluorescent green under UV light.

How It Works

With this activity, students analyze the growth of bacteria on various media and examine the roles of external and internal factors in gene regulation. Gene expression in all organisms is carefully regulated to allow adaptation to differing conditions and to prevent wasteful production of proteins. Bacterial genes encoding the enzymes needed to metabolize the simple sugar arabinose are a perfect example. A promoter region upstream of these genes acts as a molecular on/off switch that regulates their expression. The genes are activated only when arabinose is present in the environment. Bio-Rad’s pGLO plasmid incorporates the arabinose promoter, but the genes involved in the breakdown of arabinose have been replaced with the jellyfish gene encoding GFP. When bacteria transformed with pGLO plasmid are grown in the presence of arabinose, the GFP gene switches on, causing the bacteria to express GFP and fluoresce brilliant green. When students genetically reengineer bacteria with the genes from a bioluminescent jellyfish, they never forget the central mantra of molecular biology:

DNA ⇒ RNA ⇒ Protein ⇒ Trait — Green Fluorescence

More Information

• Two–session laboratory activity, 45 min per session
• Provides sufficient materials for eight student workstations, up to four students per workstation

For more information and to download the complete lab manual, go to

http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/pglo-bacterial-transformation-kit

Bio-Rad Analysis of Precut Lambda DNA Kit

Electrophoretic techniques that distinguish DNA fragments by size are essential in forensics and in the mapping of restriction sites within genes. The Analysis of Precut Lambda DNA Kit demonstrates basic procedures and principles of DNA gel electrophoresis, including agarose gel casting, sample loading, size-based separation of DNA fragments, DNA staining, and graphic analysis. This activity provides in-depth explanations about how restriction enzymes cut DNA and how electrophoresis can be used to separate and visualize DNA fragments.

Features and Benefits

• Aligns with AP Biology Lab 6

With this kit, students are able to:

• Study DNA restriction enzyme function
• Use electrophoresis to separate DNA fragments
• Construct standard curves from their data and make precise determinations of DNA fragment sizes

Applications and Uses

By visualizing the effect of three restriction enzymes on four identical samples of double-stranded lambda virus DNA, students learn that different restriction enzymes recognize and cut different DNA sequences. Optional extension exercises guide students through the procedure of DNA fragment size determination by constructing a standard curve using their own gel data. Students can then use the standard curve to determine the sizes of the various DNA fragments in their samples.

More Information

• Two–session laboratory activity, 45 min per session
• Provides sufficient materials for eight student workstations, up to four students per workstation

For more information and to download the complete lab manual, go to

http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/analysis-precut-lambda-dna-kit

Bio-Rad Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Kit

DNA evidence assists in criminal, missing persons, mass disaster, and paternity cases. It can be used to identify a perpetrator or exonerate the innocent. Using real DNA as evidence, your students play the role of crime scene investigator to figure out for themselves “Who done it?”

The six DNA samples in the Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Kit are plasmids engineered to mimic the natural variations in DNA that exist between one human being and another. One DNA sample has been collected from a “crime scene” and five samples have been obtained from various “suspects.” Each sample is digested using a mixture of two DNA restriction enzymes, which generates a distinct set of DNA fragments for each sample. The resulting DNA fragments are separated by agarose gel electrophoresis and visualized using Bio-Rad’s revolutionary Fast Blast™ DNA stain.

Features and Benefits

• Aligns with AP Biology Lab 9

With this kit, students are able to:

• Study DNA restriction enzyme function
• Use electrophoresis to separate DNA fragments
• Use standard curves constructed from their data to make precise determinations of DNA fragment sizes

Applications and Uses

With the curriculum in this kit, students also have the opportunity to:

• Read plasmid maps and predict the sizes of DNA fragments from restriction enzyme digests prior to performing the laboratory activity
• Use restriction digest maps of lambda bacteriophage genomes (provided in the kit) to design novel plasmids
• Learn how restriction enzymes function and how they are used in genetic engineering
• Discuss scientific, ethical, and legal implications of forensics, DNA profiling, and genetic engineering

More Information

• Two–session laboratory activity, 45 min per session
• Provides sufficient materials for eight student workstations, up to four students per workstation

For more information and to download the complete lab manual, go to

http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/forensic-dna-fingerprinting-kit

Bio-Rad PV92 PCR Informatics Kit

With the PV92 PCR Informatics Kit, your students use real–world forensic techniques to extract DNA from their hair follicles or cheek cells, and then use PCR amplification and electrophoresis to fingerprint their own DNA at a specific genetic locus. Using their own results, students test the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium theory within their classroom population, then go online to compare their classroom results to genetic data of populations worldwide.

Features and Benefits

• Aligns with AP Biology Lab 9
• Introduces PCR and applies it to population genetics

With this kit, students are able to:

• Directly measure human diversity at the molecular level
• Extract and amplify genomic DNA from their own samples
• Compare results to online data

Background Information

In this activity students hunt for a specific Alu repeat (a 300 base pair repetitive sequence of DNA) within a specific region called PV92 on chromosome 16. Over evolutionary time, up to 1 million copies of the Alu repeat have become randomly inserted throughout the human genome. Some of us carry an Alu insertion and some of us do not. Such variations among individuals’ genotypes are inherited — and are the raw material of genetic diversity and evolution. These subtle variations in our DNA are evidence of our ancestry and form the basis of personal identification via DNA fingerprinting.

More Information

• Three–session laboratory activity, 45 min per session
• Provides sufficient materials for eight student workstations, up to four students per workstation

For more information and to download the complete lab manual, go to

http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/pv92-pcr-informatics-kit

Bio-Rad GMO Investigator™ Kit

The GMO Investigator™ Kit uses PCR and DNA electrophoresis to test for the presence of two different GMO-associated DNA sequences: the 35S promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus and the terminator of the nopaline synthase gene of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. These DNA sequences are present in >85% of the GM crops that are approved for distribution worldwide. As a control for the integrity of the plant DNA extracted from food, PCR is used to amplify a section of the photosystem II chloroplast gene that is common to most higher plants. Students engage in a complete investigation in which they gather sample food items from the grocery store, extract DNA from the samples, amplify the DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and use agarose gel electrophoresis to identify the presence or absence of amplified GMO sequences.

Features and Benefits

The kit allows a guided-inquiry approach. Students conduct sophisticated scientific procedures employing multiple levels of controls that allow them to assess the validity of their results. Students are able to:

• Aligns with AP Biology Lab #9
• Extract and amplify DNA from eight food samples
• Perform genuine diagnostic procedures
• Use PCR and electrophoresis

Students determine the presence or absence of GMO sequences in their food samples and answer the following questions:

• Did we successfully extract DNA?
• Did our PCR work as expected?
• Do we have GM content?

Regardless of where your students stand on the GM debate, won’t they be interested to know how much of the corn– or soy–based foods they eat has been genetically modified?

More Information

• Three-session laboratory activity, 45 min per session
• Provides sufficient materials for eight student workstations, up to four students per workstation

For more information and to download the complete lab manual, go to

http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/gmo-investigator-kit