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Introduction to Molecular Biology (S1)

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This program utilizes 6 experiments to stress the relevance of molecular biology and to the study of physiology and human disease. Students first learn how proteins are separated on the basis of charge by electrophoresis. With this information, they perform a series of experiments aimed at illustrating the importance of the technique in biology and medicine. Students examine proteins in biological fluids and relate their findings to physiological and pathological states. They also study specific antigens and enzymes in serum and the abnormal hemoglobin in patients suffering from sickle cell anemia. This fine collection of experiments provides an introduction to electrophoresis and to protein composition, structure, and function in health and disease.

EXP-101 101. Electrophoretic Separation of Proteins (View Individual Experiment)

Students are introduced to the theory of separating proteins according to charge differences using electrophoresis. They then study four proteins and relate differences in their charges to their migration rates in an electric field. Each protein is a different color so that its progress during the separation can easily be followed.

EXP-102 102. Genetics and Sickle Cell Anemia (View Individual Experiment)

Many changes in the structure of hemoglobin have arisen by mutations. About one person in 100 carries a mutant hemoglobin gene, and these individuals have abnormal hemoglobin molecules in their blood. One of the most common abnormal hemoglobins is hemoglobin S, which causes sickle cell anemia. When the gene for hemoglobin S is inherited from both parents, all of the hemoglobin in the circulation is hemoglobin S and the individual suffers from severe anemia.

EXP-103 103. Analysis of Serum Proteins (View Individual Experiment)

Serum contains a variety of small molecules, as well as hundreds of different serum proteins. Serum proteins are frequently separated and characterized by electrophoresis in the clinical laboratory to determine the concentration of various proteins and to detect abnormal protein species. In this exercise, students use electrophoresis to study cow serum and to identify major serum proteins including albumin, transferrin and antibodies. This exercise serves as a good introduction to the function and complexity of proteins in blood.

EXP-104 104. Evolution of Serum Proteins (View Individual Experiment)

Antibodies can be used to study evolution at the molecular level. In this exercise, immuno-electrophoresis and double diffusion are used to illustrate this important concept. The analysis shows that cow serum proteins are similar to those from sheep and goat but are distinct from serum proteins from horse, donkey and chicken. This exercise acquaints students with basic immunological techniques and serves as an excellent illustration of the utility of these techniques for the study of protein evolution. This exercise requires two 2-3 hour laboratory periods.

Exp-105 105. A Comparison of Human and Bacterial Amylase (View Individual Experiment)

A powerful technique used in the modern laboratory involves the detection of specific enzymes in agarose gels following electrophoresis of proteins from serum, tissue extracts and other biological preparations. This procedure makes it possible to study certain properties of individual enzymes in complex protein mixtures. In this exercise, students are introduced to this procedure by comparing the amylase found in bacteria with that in their own saliva.

Exp-106 106. Protein Fingerprinting (View Individual Experiment)

A comparison of specific proteins from different species provides a powerful approach for establishing evolutionary relationships and for identifying organisms. A common approach used for this purpose is protein fingerprinting where electrophoretic properties of specific proteins are analyzed in different species. In this exercise, students use the approach to compare the forms of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase that are found in serum of different mammals. Typical results of this graphic experiment are shown below.

Prices

Catalog # Price Description
S1 246.00

The Chemical Package for 16 students working in pairs plus 17 student manuals and one instructor manual.
S1-C 194.39

The Chemical Package for 16 students working in pairs plus one student manual and one instructor manual (The student manual may bereproduced for educational purposes.)
S1-SM 9.61

Sample Student Manual (46 pages) plus one instructor manual.

Standard Program 1 Contains:

EXP-101
Cytochrome C
Hemoglobin
Serum Albumin
Myoglobin

EXP-102
Normal Human Hemoglobin
Sickle Hemoglobin
Sickle Trait Hemoglobin
Erythrocyte Lysis Buffer (2)

EXP-103
Cow Serum
Cow Gamma Globulins
Cow Transferrin
Cow Serum Albumin

EXP-104
Donkey Serum
Goat Serum
Cow Serum
Horse Serum
Sheep Serum
Chicken Serum
Filter Paper
Pasteur Pipets
Cow Serum Antibodies
Petri Dishes
Tris Buffer Saline

EXP-105
Starch Solution
Potassium Iodine Solution
Sample Buffer
Alpha-amylase

EXP-106
LDH-Substrate
Cow Serum
Sheep Serum
Goat Serum
Horse Serum
Electrophoresis Sample Buffer