This session introduces bioinformatics using a case study of pathogenic bacterial identification via a Howard Hughes Medical Institute's virtual lab and NCBI web database searches. Another goal is to get the students thinking, writing and talking about the impact of the human genome project. Our students do the exercise independently coming together in the laboratory to present and discuss their findings--this feature makes the exercise feasible for large or small classes with limited laboratory computer resources. The sub-theme of this session is the use of virtual laboratories (vlabs) re-enforcing scientific concepts and methods to supplement lectures, tutorials or "wet" labs.

This educational journal article addresses the implementation of bioinformatics in the classroom. The author explains how bioinformatics could play a key role for science students pursuing higher education, foster inquiry learning of content that has often been taught in a dry manner, provide the thread that ties classes together, improve biology teaching, enhance the learning of biotech issues and ethics, expose students to real-world science, and significantly help to reform biology teaching and improve learning. The article includes links to bioinformatics resources, information about how to get involved in bioinformatics, and a glossary of terms.

Read how DNA was used to solve the mystery of the Romanov family's execution.

This workshop, which is half wet lab and half Internet lab, uses DNA sequences to examine the relatedness of different species. DNA from several insect and/or fish species are compared. This chapter includes instructions for extracting DNA from gels and making PCR products. We prepare PCR products to send to a computerized automated sequencing facility. (No radioisotopes are used in this sequencing!) We recover sequence from the facility over the Web as four-color graphics on a computer screen and as text. We make pair-wise DNA sequence comparisons between species with BLAST2 and multi-species comparisons with MultAlin. We see substitutions, insertions, and deletions. Then we make a distance-based evolutionary tree with GeneBee.

Genetically modified foods are often in the news and widely grown in the United States. Three US government agencies (USDA, FDA, and EPA) work to regulate the introduction and production of genetically modified foods. These crops can provide agricultural, ecological and nutritional benefits, but there are also potential risks to the environment and consumers. As consumers and public interest groups around the world have become aware of these risks, there has been a call for more explicit product labeling and reliable methods for the detection of genetic modification in the foods we eat. This lab activity explores these issues by taking students through a three-part process to detect the presence of genetic modification in corn (maize) or soy food products. This lab uses one of the two methods for detection of genetic modification currently approved by the European Union.

Molecular biological techniques are used to study naturally occurring genetic variation, and have greatly facilitated the understanding of problems in many areas of biology. In this lab, we examine two populations of terrestrial isopods in the Family Armadillidiidae using Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD Analysis). RAPDs are robust and generally species-independent. Using this technique, we are able to detect and analyze genetic variation within and between two different populations of isopods. This lab exercise could easily be modified for use in an introductory course for majors or non-majors and would be suitable for any organism with low vagility.

7.02 and 7.021 require simultaneous registration. Application of experimental techniques in biochemistry, microbiology, and cell biology. Emphasizes integrating factual knowledge with understanding the design of experiments and data analysis to prepare the students for research projects. Instruction and practice in written communication provided.

Subject uses molecular genetics to examine how Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria can be used in novel and relevant bioconversion processes, for example, to synthesize precursors to the drug Crixivan, a potent inhibitor of HIV replication, or to synthesize metabolites as food supplements. Students engage in independent research projects to address questions relating to these processess. Techniques used include plasmid manipulation, genetic complementation, mutagenesis, PCR, and DNA sequencing, enzyme assays, and gene expression studies. Instruction and practice in written and oral communication provided. Also referred to as the Microbial Genetics Project Lab, this is a hands-on research course designed to introduce the student to the strategies and challenges associated with microbiology research. Students take on independent and original research projects that are designed to be instructive with the goal of advancing a specific field of research in microbiology.

" In this class, students engage in independent research projects to probe various aspects of the physiology of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, an opportunistic pathogen isolated from the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Students use molecular genetics to examine survival in stationary phase, antibiotic resistance, phase variation, toxin production, and secondary metabolite production. Projects aim to discover the molecular basis for these processes using both classical and cutting-edge techniques. These include plasmid manipulation, genetic complementation, mutagenesis, PCR, DNA sequencing, enzyme assays, and gene expression studies. Instruction and practice in written and oral communication are also emphasized. WARNING NOTICE The experiments described in these materials are potentially hazardous and require a high level of safety training, special facilities and equipment, and supervision by appropriate individuals. You bear the sole responsibility, liability, and risk for the implementation of such safety procedures and measures. MIT shall have no responsibility, liability, or risk for the content or implementation of any of the material presented. Legal Notice "

Samples of soil were recovered from an Indiana murder victim's car and shoes. This experiment isolates DNA from plants grown from seeds that were found on the shoes. Two different ecotypes of a weed grow in different areas of Indiana. This difference can be detected using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA is extracted from the seedlings using the REDExtract-N-Amp Plant PCR Kit. Specific regions of the isolated DNA are then amplified by PCR. The PCR products are analyzed by gel electrophoresis and the results used to determine which suspect was in the same area as the victim. With data from previous exercises the students can determine who committed the murder. An alternate CTAB DNA isolation procedure is also included.

In this laboratory exercise students will learn how to: (a) Isolate DNA from individual sturgeon and other fish eggs (available at any local deli that sells caviar) using the DNAzol method, (b) Set up control and species-specific PCR reactions using primers that have been developed for DNA from sturgeon species and (c) Use electrophoresis and methylene blue and/or ethidium bromide staining to visualize the PCR products. This laboratory exercise would allow students to contribute to a growing DNA database on endangered species.

The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material.

The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material. 7.014 focuses on the application of the fundamental principles toward an understanding of human biology. Topics include genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, disease (infectious agents, inherited diseases and cancer), developmental biology, neurobiology and evolution.

The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material. 7.014 focuses on the application of these fundamental principles, toward an understanding of microorganisms as geochemical agents responsible for the evolution and renewal of the biosphere and of their role in human health and disease.

The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material.7.014 focuses on the application of the fundamental principles toward an understanding of human biology. Topics include genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, disease (infectious agents, inherited diseases and cancer), developmental biology, neurobiology and evolution.

This course introduces experimental biochemical and molecular techniques from a quantitative engineering perspective. Experimental design, rigorous data analysis, and scientific communication form the underpinnings of this subject. Three discovery-based experimental modules focus on genome engineering, expression engineering, and biomaterial engineering.

This is a collection of tried-and-true technique descriptions used in teaching postgraduate students in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at UCT.

In this exercise, students isolate and analyze DNA from food plants in a supermarket, or from common backyard plants. Extracting plant DNA is often difficult using conventional means because undesirable material including PCR inhibitors often co-purifies with the DNA. The novel approach used in this exercise is simple and quick, and also avoids the use of dangerous organic reagents. Students crush plant material (spinach leaves in this exercise) onto special cards originally used to archive blood samples. Then they cut small pieces of the cards to treat with reagents to isolate the spinach DNA for PCR. Other methods of archiving and isolating DNA from plant material are discussed, and applications for the method are also considered.

The goal of this laboratory exercise is to provide a laboratory experience for undergraduates, in which they apply fundamental genetic principles to the study of a complex developmental process, specifically, root cell shape determination in the simple plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In this exercise, students identify putative root cell shape mutants, analyze an F2 segregating population, and finally use molecular techniques to determine where a specific mutation in located within the genome. This exercise can be adapted to study any fundamental developmental process than can be perturbed in Arabidopsis.