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Differentiation Of Capsicum Species Via Protein Extraction And Sds-Page Analysis: A Two-Day Experiment For Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratories, Trey Polvadore, Brittney P. Cooper, Michele R. Harris

Undergraduate Research Conference

The Capsicum genus is comprised of more than 200 varieties of pepper plant that collectively represent only five cultivated spices. As a result of extensive cross-breeding, an 88% similarity in protein coding DNA has developed. While this has made species determination based solely on physical appearance all but impossible, the 12% difference in protein coding DNA has led to subtle differences in translated protein. SDS-PAGE analysis facilitates the generation of protein banding patterns that, after careful analysis, was used to differentiate one variety of pepper from another. This project was used to distinguish between pepper plant species and was carried …