Students stain an agarose gel Voluntary Laboratory Component of Introductory Biology effort led by Julia Khodor and Dina Gould Halme The in-class demonstrations were very successful, but limited in scope because of time and facilities constraints imposed by recitation sections in standard classrooms. To expand on the in-class demonstrations, Dina and Julia designed and taught a volunteer laboratory segment of the course. The Department of Biology generously made its 7.02 (Introductory Biology Lab) laboratory space available to us and interested students attended a ninety-minute session once per week. The students participated in discussions of the concepts and techniques involved in each days activities. The students then performed an experiment. The students isolated and precipitated their own DNA, performed a screen for cysteine auxotrophs in yeast, used a complementation test to determine which auxotrophs are mutant in the same gene, and began the process of creating a genomic library by digesting plasmid and genomic DNA and running them on a gel. They also performed "gene therapy" on the cysteine auxotrophs using human alleles of the CYS4 gene and performed an Ames test with potential carcinogens of their own choosing. There were 2 sections with 9 students in the first and 15 in the second. Currently these laboratory experiences are solely for enrichment purposes, but if successful, they might lead to an alternative version of our Introductory Biology courses that would have the same lectures as the regular courses, but include these exploratory laboratory experiences.

Students examine their complementation test plates

Students demonstrate how they see through their new "eyes" as scientists

If you wish to view the laboratory exercises, handouts, and answer keys, please click on the appropriate link below. Lab # 1 Introduction, DNA isolation and mutagenesis Lab # 1 Answer Key Lab # 2 Biochemistry - Proteins Lab # 2 Answer Key Lab # 3 Mutant Hunt Lab # 3 Answer Key Lab # 4 Identifying Mutant Genes – Complementation two ways Lab # 4 Answer Key Lab # 5 Library construction—Component visualization by agarose gel electrophoresis Lab # 5 Answer Key Lab # 6 Complementation by cloning. Gene therapy. Genetic diagnostic assay. Lab # 6 Answer Key Lab # 7 Ames Test for Mutagens and Carcinogens Lab # 7 Answer Key Lab # 8 Ames Test Part II Lab # 8 Answer Key