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Full-Text Articles in Education

Inquiry-Based Experiments For Large-Scale Introduction To Pcr And Eestriction Enzyme Digests, Kelly E. Johanson, Terry J. Watt Nov 2015

Inquiry-Based Experiments For Large-Scale Introduction To Pcr And Eestriction Enzyme Digests, Kelly E. Johanson, Terry J. Watt

Faculty and Staff Publications

Polymerase chain reaction and restriction endonuclease digest are important techniques that should be included in all Biochemistry and Molecular Biology laboratory curriculums. These techniques are frequently taught at an advanced level, requiring many hours of student and faculty time. Here we present two inquiry-based experiments that are designed for introductory laboratory courses and combine both techniques. In both approaches, students must determine the identity of an unknown DNA sequence, either a gene sequence or a primer sequence, based on a combination of PCR product size and restriction digest pattern. The experimental design is flexible, and can be adapted based on …


Purification And Characterization Of Enzymes From Yeast: An Extended Undergraduate Laboratory Sequence For Large Classes, Kelly E. Johanson, Terry J. Watt, Neil R. Mcintyre, Marleesa Thompson Jul 2013

Purification And Characterization Of Enzymes From Yeast: An Extended Undergraduate Laboratory Sequence For Large Classes, Kelly E. Johanson, Terry J. Watt, Neil R. Mcintyre, Marleesa Thompson

Faculty and Staff Publications

Providing a project-based experience in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory class can be complex with large class sizes and limited resources. We have designed a 6-week curriculum during which students purify and characterize the enzymes invertase and phosphatase from bakers yeast. Purification is performed in two stages via ethanol precipitation and anion exchange chromatography, and students perform both direct and coupled enzyme assays. By completion of the experimental series, students are able to identify which enzymes they have purified and have obtained kinetic parameters for one. This experimental series requires minimal instructor preparation time, is cost effective, and works with multiple …